Tunable nonlinear current-voltage characteristics of three-terminal ballistic nanojunctions

The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of three-terminal ballistic junctions (TBJs) fabricated from high-electron-mobility GaInAs/InP quantum-well structures are measured in the six-terminal configuration. These characteristics show strong nonlinear, diode-like behavior, in agreement with recent theoretical calculations. Furthermore, the I-V characteristics are tunable by the voltage applied directly to one branch of the TBJs acting as a gate. An additional tuning of the characteristics of the TBJ devices can be performed using an in-plane side gate. All the presented characteristics are measured at room temperature, which makes TBJ devices promising for future nanoelectronic applications. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.