A 3-TERMINAL INP INGAASP OPTOELECTRONIC THYRISTOR/

A three terminal light emitting opto-thyristor based on InP/InGaAsP he terostructures grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) has been demonstrat ed. The opto-thyristor essentially combines the conventional PNPN thyr istor and the NpN double heterostructure laser structure into a single PNpN device. Current-Voltage characteristics confirm the thyristor ty pe switching action with a maximum gate controllable breakover voltage of 8 V. Substantially increased light output at wavelengths of 1.3 an d 0.93 mum is observed upon switching. The optical output as a functio n of device voltage is also reported.