Inverted and non-inverted hysteretic switching in GaAs/AlGaAs-based electron Y-branch switches

The voltage-voltage characteristic of electron Y-branch switches controlled by four independent side-gates is considered. Using one branch as a low-dimensional gate, the conductance between the stem and the other branch can be adjusted. It is found that the Coulomb repulsion of electrons in the different branches is drastically enhanced for a critical voltage range at the outer side-gates. Using the branch-gate and the outer side-gates as input stages, the voltage-voltage characteristics can be tuned to an inverted and non-inverted response, respectively, with gain and internal hysteretic switching.