title: Heterodyne mixing of millimetre electromagnetic waves and sub-THz sound in a semiconductor device.
abstract: We demonstrate heterodyne mixing of a 94 GHz millimetre wave photonic signal, supplied by a Gunn diode oscillator, with coherent acoustic waves of frequency ~100 GHz, generated by pulsed laser excitation of a semiconductor surface. The mixing takes place in a millimetre wave Schottky diode, and the intermediate frequency electrical signal is in the 1-12 GHz range. The mixing process preserves all the spectral content in the acoustic signal that falls within the intermediate frequency bandwidth. Therefore this technique may find application in high-frequency acoustic spectroscopy measurements, exploiting the nanometre wavelength of sub-THz sound. The result also points the way to exploiting acoustoelectric effects in photonic devices working at sub-THz and THz frequencies, which could provide functionalities at these frequencies, e.g. acoustic wave filtering, that are currently in widespread use at lower (GHz) frequencies.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD UK.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Heywood
authors.affiliation: Department of Theoretical Physics, V E Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Pr. Nauki 41, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Boris A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Glavin
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD UK.
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Beardsley
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD UK.
authors.forename: Andrey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Akimov
authors.affiliation: e2v Microwave Technology Centre, Firth Road Business Centre, Firth Road, Lincoln LN6 7AA UK.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: e2v Microwave Technology Centre, Firth Road Business Centre, Firth Road, Lincoln LN6 7AA UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.affiliation: e2v Microwave Technology Centre, Firth Road Business Centre, Firth Road, Lincoln LN6 7AA UK.
authors.forename: Philip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: e2v Microwave Technology Centre, Firth Road Business Centre, Firth Road, Lincoln LN6 7AA UK.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prime
authors.affiliation: e2v Microwave Technology Centre, Firth Road Business Centre, Firth Road, Lincoln LN6 7AA UK.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Priestley
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD UK.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kent