Amplification of terahertz radiation in carbon nanotubes

We investigate theoretically the feasibility of amplification of terahertz radiation in aligned achiral carbon nanotubes, a zigzag (12,0) and an armchair (10,10) in comparison with a superlattice using a combination of a constant direct current (dc) and a high-frequency alternate current (ac) electric fields. The electric current density expression is derived using the semiclassical Boltzmann transport equation with a constant relaxation time. The electric field is applied along the nanotube axis. Analysis of the current density versus electric field characteristics reveals a negative differential conductivity behavior at high frequency, as well as photon assisted peaks. The photon assisted peaks are about an order of magnitude higher in the carbon nanotubes compared to the superlattice. These strong phenomena in carbon nanotubes can be used to obtain domainless amplification of terahertz radiation at room temperature.     

Intraband Dynamics and Terahertz Emission in Biased GaAs/In0.53Ga0.47As Semiconductor Superlattices

Using an excitonic basis, we investigate the intraband polarization, opticalabsorption spectra, and terahertz emission of semiconductor superlattice withthe density matrix theory. The excitonic Bloch oscillation is driven by the dcand ac electric fields. The slow variation in the intraband polarizationdepends on the ac electric field frequency. The intraband polarizationincreases when the ac electric field frequency is below the Bloch frequency.When the ac electric field frequency is above the Bloch frequency, theintraband polarization downwards and its intensity decreases. The satellitestructures in the optical absorption spectra are presented. Due to excitonicdynamic localization, the emission lines of terahertz shift in different acelectric field and dc electric field.     

太赫兹场和倾斜磁场对超晶格电子动力学特性调控规律研究

微带超晶格在磁场和太赫兹场调控下表现出丰富而复杂的动力学行为, 研究微带电子在外场作用下的输运性质对于太赫兹器件设计与研制具有重要意义. 本文采用准经典的运动方程描述了超晶格微带电子在沿超晶格生长方向(z方向)的THz场和相对于z轴倾斜的磁场共同作用下的非线性动力学特性. 研究表明, 在太赫兹场和倾斜磁场共同作用下, 超晶格微带电子随时间的演化表现出周期和混沌等新奇的运动状态. 采用庞加莱分支图详细研究了微带电子在磁场和太赫兹场调控下的运动规律, 给出了电子运行于周期和混沌运动状态的参数区间. 在电场和磁场作用下, 微带电子将产生布洛赫振荡和回旋振荡, 形成复杂的协同耦合振荡. 太赫兹场与这些协同振荡模式之间的相互作用是导致电子表现出周期态、混沌态以及倍周期分叉等现象的主要原因.     

Negative high-harmonic dynamic conductivity in a superlattice

In this paper, we discuss high-frequency generation in a semiconductor superlattice (SL). In particular, we have studied the diffusive regime where Bloch oscillations and electrical domains do not develop and generation may occur as a result of the negative high-harmonic non-linear conductivity. We underline the difference between this regime and frequency conversion in a stable non-linear medium: for high-harmonic instability to occur, thresholds in ac and dc driving forces must be reached. We point to AlGaN/GaN as a possible material system for high-power SL terahertz sources.     

Superlattice, rhombus, square, and hexagonal standing waves in magnetically driven ferrofluid surface

Standing wave patterns that arise on the surface of ferrofluids by (single frequency) parametric forcing with an ac magnetic field are investigated experimentally. Depending on the frequency and amplitude of the forcing, the system exhibits various patterns including a superlattice and subharmonic rhombuses as well as conventional harmonic hexagons and subharmonic squares. The superlattice arises in a bicritical situation where harmonic and subharmonic modes collide. The rhombic pattern arises due to the nonmonotonic dispersion relation of a ferrofluid.     

A theoretical study of operation conditions for a terahertz superlattice parametric oscillator

We report a theoretical study of operation conditions for a terahertz superlattice parametric oscillator (SPO). The SPO converts radiation of frequency ω to radiation at frequency 3ω. The parametric process is based on the nonlinearity of the motion of a miniband electron in a high-frequency field consisting of a strong fundamental-frequency field and a higher harmonic field. In our study we made use of a semiclassical theory. Our analysis indicates that parametric frequency upconversion should allow for production of radiation up to several terahertz.     

Double-resonance Semiconductor Superlattice Parametric Oscillator for Generation of Subterahertz Radiation

We report on a subterahertz superlattice parametric oscillator that operated simultaneously at two different harmonic frequencies of a microwave pump field. A pump field (frequency near 100 GHz) was coupled to a GaAs/AlAs superlattice in a resonator for the third and the fifth harmonic. The pump field produced a third harmonic field and this together with the pump field created a fifth harmonic field. A theoretical analysis indicates that the nonlinearity, which is based on the dynamics of miniband electrons, should allow for the upconversion of pump radiation of higher frequency into the terahertz frequency range.      

A Physics-Based Compact Direct-Current and Alternating-Current Model for AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors

A set of analytical models for the dc and small signal characteristics of AIGaN/GaN high electron mobility transis- tors （HEMTs） are presented. A modified transferred-electron mobility model is adapted and a phenomenological low-field mobility model is developed. We calculate the channel charge considering the neutralization of donors and the contribution of free electrons in the AlGaN layer. The gate-to-source and gate-to-drain capacitances are obtained analytically, and the cut-off frequency is predicted. The models are implemented into the HSPICE simulator for the dc, ac and transient simulations and verified by experimental data for the first time. A high efficiency class-E GaN HEMT power amplifier is designed and simulated by the HSPICE to verify the applicability of our models.     

Resonant crossover of terahertz loss to the gain of a Bloch oscillating InAs/AlSb superlattice

Terahertz absorption in waveguides loaded with InAs/AlSb super-superlattice mesas reveals a frequency dependent crossover from loss to gain that is related to the Stark ladder produced by an applied dc electric field. Electric field domains appear to be suppressed in the super-superlattice composed of many very short segments of superlattice, interrupted by heavily doped InAs regions. Resonant crossover is indicated by an increase in terahertz transmission as the Stark splitting or Bloch frequency determined by the applied dc electric field exceeds the measurement frequency.     

Emission of terahertz radiation from selectively doped AlGaN/GaN heterostructures under the heating of two-dimensional electrons by an electric field

The emission of terahertz radiation from a AlGaN/GaN heterostructure under the heating of two-dimensional electrons in a lateral electric field is studied. The field dependence of the temperature of hot electrons is determined from an analysis of experimental volt-ampere characteristics. A theoretical model of the thermal radiation of hot two-dimensional electrons is considered, and the calculation results are compared with an experiment on terahertz radiation emission.     

Intraband dynamics and terahertz emission in biased semiconductor superlattices coupled to double far-infrared pulses

This paper studies both the intraband polarization and terahertz emission of a semiconductor superlattice in combined dc and ac electric fields by using the superposition of two identical time delayed and phase shifted optical pulses. By adjusting the delay between these two optical pulses, our results show that the intraband polarization is sensitive to the time delay. The peak values appear again for the terahertz emission intensity due to the superposition of two optical pulses. The emission lines of terahertz blueshift and redshift in different ac electric fields and dynamic localization appears. The emission lines of THz only appear to blueshift when the biased superlattice is driven by a single optical pulse. Due to excitonic dynamic localization, the terahertz emission intensity decays with time in different dc and ac electric fields. These are features of this superlattice which distinguish it from a superlattice generated by a single optical pulse to drive it.     

AN EFFECTIVE TWO-LEVEL CHANNEL FOR AN IMPURITY IN A SUPERLATTICE

The eigenstates and eigenspectrum of a charged particle in a one-dimensional semiconductor superlattice with an impurity under the action of a dc electric field are investigated employing the single-band tight-binding model. We find that the system undergoes a series of avoided crossings, at which resonant oscillations between the impurity and its nearest neighbour occur if appropriate conditions are met, suggesting an effective two-level approximation. This phenomenon shows that introducing an impurity in a perfect lattice provides a promising structure for the observation of terahertz radiation.     

Effect of Si doping in wells of AlGaN/GaN superlattice on the characteristics of epitaxial layer

An AlGaN/GaN superlattice grown on the top of a GaN buffer induces the broadening of the full width at half maximum of (102) and (002) X-ray diffraction rocking curves. With an increase in the Si-doped concentration in the GaN wells, the full width at half maximum of the (102) rocking curves decreases, while that of the (002) rocking curves increases. A significant increase of the full width at the half maximum of the (002) rocking curves when the doping concentration reaches 2.5 × 1019 cm-3 indicates the substantial increase of the inclined threading dislocation. High level doping in the AlGaN/GaN superlattice can greatly reduce the biaxial stress and optimize the surface roughness of the structures grown on the top of it.     

Dynamic conductivity of ac–dc-driven graphene superlattice

The dynamic conductivity of graphene superlattice in the presence of ac electric field and dc electric field with longitudinal and transversal components with respect to superlattice axis was calculated. In the case of strong transversal component of dc field conductivity of graphene superlattice was shown to be such as if the electrons had got the effective mass. In the case of weak transversal component of dc field conductivity was shown to change its sign if the frequency of ac field was an integer multiple of half of Bloch frequency.     

Effect of a dc electric field on the high-frequency conductivity of a graphene superlattice

Longitudinal and transverse high-frequency conductivities of a graphene superlattice placed in an additional dc electric field are calculated. It is shown that in a sufficiently strong transverse field, the dependence of the longitudinal high-frequency conductivity of the superlattice on the ac field frequency changes. This effect is explained by the nonadditivity of the electronic spectrum of the investigated structure.     

Epitaxial evolution on buried cracks in a strain-controlled AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer between AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells and a GaN template

Epitaxial evolution of buried cracks in a strain-controlled AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer(IL) grown on GaN template, resulting in crack-free AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells(MQW), was investigated. The processes of filling the buried cracks include crack formation in the IL, coalescence from both side walls of the crack, build-up of an MQW-layer hump above the cracks, lateral expansion and merging with the surrounding MQW, and two-dimensional step flow growth.It was confirmed that the filling content in the buried cracks is pure GaN, originating from the deposition of the GaN thin layer directly after the IL. Migration of Ga adatoms into the cracks plays a key role in the filling the buried cracks.     

具有部分本征GaN帽层新型AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管特性分析

为了优化传统Al GaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(high electron mobility transistors,HEMTs)器件的表面电场,提高击穿电压,本文提出了一种具有部分本征GaN帽层的新型Al GaN/GaN HEMTs器件结构.新型结构通过在Al GaN势垒层顶部、栅电极到漏电极的漂移区之间引入部分本征GaN帽层,由于本征GaN帽层和Al GaN势垒层界面处的极化效应,降低了沟道二维电子气(two dimensional electron gas,2DEG)的浓度,形成了栅边缘低浓度2DEG区域,使得沟道2DEG浓度分区,由均匀分布变为阶梯分布.通过调制沟道2DEG的浓度分布,从而调制了Al GaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场.利用电场调制效应,产生了新的电场峰,且有效降低了栅边缘的高峰电场,Al GaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场分布更加均匀.利用ISE-TCAD软件仿真分析得出:通过设计一定厚度和长度的本征GaN帽层,Al GaN/GaN HEMTs器件的击穿电压从传统结构的427 V提高到新型结构的960 V.由于沟道2DEG浓度减小,沟道电阻增加,使得新型Al GaN/GaN HEMTs器件的最大输出电流减小了9.2%,截止频率几乎保持不变,而最大振荡频率提高了12%.     

Quantum derivatives and terahertz gain in a superlattice

Simple formulas describing terahertz absorption and gain in a semiconductor superlattice irradiated by a microwave pump field are derived for the case when the signal frequency is a half harmonic of the pump. A simple qualitative analysis provides a geometric interpretation of the derived formulas, which can be used to determine if gain is feasible.     

Effect of polarization on two-dimensional carrier distribution in nitride quantum wells

Wide band-gap group-III nitrides are important for the design of optical devices in the blue and blue–green region. Owing to their wurtzite structure, these materials have a strong inherent polarization field that affects carrier distribution, exciton stability and hence influences the optical properties of the devices. So far, carriers have been assumed to have a sheet-like character. In this paper a non sheet-like distribution function for these quasi two-dimensional carriers is proposed that incorporates the effect of the polarization field. Here GaN/InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN quantum wells have been studied. The polarization field causes the electron and hole wave functions to separate out, thus causing decrease of emission strength and strong reduction of exciton binding energy. This treatment explains well the qualitative nature of carrier distribution in the well. The polarization field changes with GaN mole fraction present in the tertiary nitride layer. The effect of mole fraction on carrier distribution has also been studied. It is found that, inside the well, the hole distribution changes a little more with change in mole fraction than the electron distribution, but for all practical purposes the net change in the distribution pattern is negligible.     

Balance equations for electron transport in an arbitrary energy band driven by an intense terahertz field. Application to superlattice miniband transport

We suggest a balance-equation approach to hot-electron transport in a single arbitrary energy band subject to an intense radiation field of terahertz (THz) frequency, including all the multiphoton emission and absorption processes and taking account of realistic scatterings due to impurities and phonons. This approach, which allows one to calculate THz-driving, time-averaging transport based on a set of time-independent equations, provides a convenient method to study the effect of an intense THz electric field on carrier transport in a nonparabolic energy band. As an example, these fully three-dimensional, acceleration- and energy-balance equations are applied to the discussion of superlattice miniband transport at lattice temperature T=77 and 300 K driven by the THz radiation field of varying strengths. It is shown that the current through a dc biased miniband superlattice is greatly reduced by the irradiation of an intense THz electric field. Received: 23 January 1998 / Revised: 31 March 1998 / Accepted: 20 April 1998