Ultrahigh frequency components in the hot electron photomagnetoelectric response of strongly photoexcited narrow-gap semiconductors

Abstract

A photomagnetoelectric effect has been investigated in semiconductors InAs and CdxHg1-xTe (x=0.2 and 0.26) excited by Q-switched neodymium-YAG laser. The photomagnetoelectric signal undergos double-sign-inversion when the intensity of the exciting light pulses exceeds a critical value Ic=5×1024 photons/(cm2 s) for InAs and (1-4)×1024 photons/(cm2 s) for CdxHg1-xTe samples. It is shown that a frequency spectrum of photomagnetoelectric response is broadened significantly in the region of high frequencies. In general three frequency bands were distinguished. From this investigation it follows that using laser pulses of a duration topt∼1-10 ps the photomagnetoelectric signal in the terahertz range may be generated.