Current self-oscillation induced by a transverse magnetic field in a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice

Abstract

We investigate the influence of a transverse magnetic field on the current-voltage characteristics of a doped GaAs/AlAs superlattice at 1.6 K. The current transport regimes---stable electric field domain formation and current selfoscillation---are observed with increasing transverse magnetic field up to 13 T. Magnetic-field-induced redistribution of electron momentum and energy is identified as the mechanism triggering the switching over of one process to another leading to a change in the dependence of the effective electron drift velocity on electric field. Simulation yields excellent agreement with observed results.