Magnetic field dependence on electroluminescence properties, of metal-insulator-metal devices consisting of Au/GaAs junctions

We observed electroluminescence (EL) associated with a magnetic-field-dependent avalanche breakdown in a metal-insulator-metal device consisting of semi-insulating (SI-)GaAs with Au contacts. Above a threshold bias voltage, EL emission was observed due to the avalanche breakdown. The peak energy of the EL is approximately 1.4 eV at room temperature. The energy spectra of the EL emission revealed that the dominant charge transport occurs in the bulk region of GaAs and is not a hopping transport in surface states or at the deep levels of impurities on the surface. A magnetic field quenched the EL emission due to the magnetoresistive switch (MRS) effect. The peak energy of the EL spectra depends on current intensity. It is considered that a peak shift is caused by the current crowding effect due to the configuration of the electrodes.