Sidegating in GaAs current limiters

Potentials of several volts or less applied to the sidegate contact of an ion-implanted GaAs current limiter cause a decrease in the channel current, in both the linear and Saturated modes of operation. Larger sidegate potentials have the opposite effect due to the addition of a large substrate leakage current, and cause an apparent shift in the impact-ionization threshold of the channel current.