Zener tunneling between the Landau levels in a two-dimensional electron system with one-dimensional periodic modulation

Nonlinear magnetotransport in a two-dimensional electron gas in one-dimensional lateral lattices fabricated from a selectively doped GaAs/AlAs heterostructure is investigated. One-dimensional potential modulation is imposed on the two-dimensional electron gas by means of a set of metal strips formed on the planar surface of Hall bars. The dependences of the differential resistance $r_{xx}$ on the magnetic field $B<0.5$  T are studied at a temperature $T=1.6 $ K in lattices with a period of $a\approx 200$ nm. It is shown that periodic oscillations in $r_{xx}(1/B)$ occur in such lattices under the action of a current-induced Hall field due to Zener tunneling between Landau levels. Interference is found between Zener oscillations and commensurability oscillations of $r_{xx}$ in two-dimensional electron systems with one-dimensional periodic modulation. The experimental results are qualitatively explained by the role of Landau bands in nonlinear transport at large filling factors.