Current suppression and harmonic generation by intense terahertz fields in semiconductor superlattices

The time-dependent current response of superlattice miniband conduction to a strong submillimeter wave electric field of varying frequency and strength is investigated at lattice temperature T=77 and 300 K by means of the three-dimensional balance-equation method with accurate microscopic treatment of impurity and phonon scatterings. The terahertz-radiation-induced current suppression and the generated third harmonic power as functions of the input power of the high-frequency held predicted theoretically are in reasonable agreement with recent experimental findings in heavily doped GaAs superlattices. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.