Possibility of the effect of absolute negative conductivity in quantum superlattice exposed to the high-frequency electromagnetic radiation

•Current density in superlattice in quantizing electric field was calculated.•High frequency electromagnetic wave effect on the conductivity was investigated.•Inelastic scattering of charge carriers by phonons was taken into account.•Absolute negative conductivity was shown to be possible in superlattice.•Effect of absolute negative conductivity in graphene superlattice was discussed.

Current density in superlattice placed in quantizing electric field and in high-frequency field of electromagnetic wave was calculated. The calculations were performed by taking into account an inelastic scattering of charge carriers by phonons. Possibility of the effect of absolute negative conductivity, i.e. the effect of appearance of electric current flowing in opposite direction than that of vector of quantizing electric field intensity, was shown. Such effect in graphene superlattices was discussed.