The I-V curves in multi-quantum wells of different semiconductors are studied theoretically using the formalism of the transmission coefficient directly derived from Schrödinger equation. Al0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs double-barrier quantum well, Al0.29Ga0.71As/GaAs multi-quantum well, and AlSb/InAs double-barrier structure are calculated. The influences of well width, barrier width, temperature, Fermi energy on I-V characteristic curves are discussed in detail. Calculated results show that obvious negative differential resistance effects presented by our simulated I-V curves has a good agreement with previous experiments. Therefore, it can be a theoretical expectation to design experimentally high-quality semiconductor devices.