Reducing localized high electric fields in photoconductive wide bandgap semiconductors

An optical transconductance variable resistor, comprising:

• a photoconductive wide bandgap semiconductor material (PWBSM) substrate, whose conduction response to changes in amplitude of incident radiation that is substantially linear throughout a non-saturation region thereof, whereby the material is operable in non-avalanche mode as a variable resistor;
• and
• first and second electrodes in contact with the material so that:
• a first triple junction boundary region is formed between the PWBSM substrate and the first electrode, and a second triple junction boundary region is formed between the PWBSM substrate and the second electrode, and the PWBSM substrate is located within an internal triple junction region formed between the first and second triple junction boundary regions.

An optical transconductance variable resistor, comprising:

• a photoconductive wide bandgap semiconductor material (PWBSM) substrate, whose conduction response to changes in amplitude of incident radiation that is substantially linear throughout a non-saturation region thereof, whereby the material is operable in non-avalanche mode as a variable resistor;
• a first electrode and a second electrode in contact with the photoconductive wide bandgap semiconductor material;
• and
• wherein one of the first and the second electrodes includes at least one aperture to control radiation to within a volume bounded by a triple junction region formed between a first triple junction region and a second triple junction region, in which the first triple junction region is formed between the PWBSM substrate and the first electrode, and the second triple junction boundary region is formed between the PWBSM substrate and the second electrode.