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Microwave oscillator based on Bloch oscillations of electrons in a semiconductor superlattice
Author(s) -
Grenzer J.,
Ignatov A. A.,
Schomburg E.,
Renk K. F.,
Pavel'ev D. G.,
Koschurinov Yu.,
Melzer B.,
Ivanov S.,
Schaposchnikov S.,
Kop'ev P. S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
annalen der physik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1521-3889
pISSN - 0003-3804
DOI - 10.1002/andp.19955070304
Subject(s) - microwave , superlattice , semiconductor , electron , physics , laser linewidth , radiation , optoelectronics , resonator , condensed matter physics , materials science , optics , laser , quantum mechanics
Abstract We report on a microwave oscillator based on Bloch oscillations of electrons in a semiconductor superlattice. Our GaAs/AlAs superlattice, at room temperature, was coupled electromagnetically by an antenna to a rectangular cavity resonator, and was operated at a current‐voltage state of negative differential conductance. We observed generation of microwave radiation at frequencies, depending on the resonator length, between 7 and 30 GHz. Electronic tuning by several percent was possible; the ratio of linewidth to frequency was of the order of 10 −4 . A radiation power up to 1 μW (at 10 GHz) was obtained, corresponding to a generator efficiency of the order of 10 −3 for the conversion of electrical power to microwave radiation.