  We study the response of low-dimensional semiconductor superlattices to
strong terahertz fields on condition of a strong suppression of inelastic
scattering processes of electrons caused by the polar-optical phonons. For our
study we employ a balance equations approach which allows investigating the
response of the superlattices to strong terahertz fields taking account of both
the inelastic and the strongly pronounced elastic scattering of electrons. Our
approach provides a way to analyze the influence of the Bloch dynamics of
electrons in a superlattice miniband side by side with the effects of the
electron heating on the magnitude and the frequency dependence of a
superlattice current responsivity in the terahertz frequency band. Our study
shows that the suppression of the inelastic scattering caused either by a
reduction of the superlattice dimensionality by lateral quantization or by a
strong magnetic field application can give rise to a huge enhancement of the
current responsivity. This enhancement can be interpreted in terms of the well
pronounced electronic bolometric effect occurring due to the efficient electron
heating in the low-dimensional superlattices by the incident terahertz fields.
