An optoelectronic switch based on a triangular-barrier structure

A GaAs-InGaP triangular-barrier optoelectronic switch, grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), is reported in the paper. Owing to the avalanche multiplication and hole confinement in the device operation, S-shaped negative-differential-resistance (NDR) performances are observed in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics under both normal and reverse operation modes. The device also showed a flexible optical function related to the potential barrier height controllable by incident light. The dependency of the carrier transport mechanism on illumination, as well as the I-V characteristics at different temperatures, are investigated.