Superheterodyne amplification of sub-millimeter electromagnetic waves in an n-GaAs film

A superheterodyne amplification of sub-millimeter electromagnetic waves in GaAs due to the negative differential mobility is analyzed. The nonlinearity arises from the modulation of concentration, due to a space charge wave, and from the ponderomotive force, due to electromagnetic waves. The case of resonant interaction of two traveling counter propagating electromagnetic waves and the space charge wave in a thin n-GaAs film placed into a dielectric waveguide is considered. The case of 2D electron gas is also analyzed. The simulation of this nonlinear interaction shows a certain increment of the amplification. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.