Terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Ruedeger Koehler; Alessandro Tredicucci; Fabio Beltram; Harvey E. Beere; Edmund H. Linfield; A. Giles Davies; David A. Ritchie

doi:10.1117/12.475764

3 July 2003 Terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Ruedeger Koehler, Alessandro Tredicucci, Fabio Beltram, Harvey E. Beere, Edmund H. Linfield, A. Giles Davies, David A. Ritchie

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4995, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers II; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475764
Event: Integrated Optoelectronics Devices, 2003, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

The terahertz region (1-10 THz) of the electromagnetic spectrum offers ample opportunities in spectroscopy, free space communications, remote sensing and medical imaging. Yet, the use of THz radiation in all these fields has been hampered by the lack of appropriate, convenient sources. We here report on unipolar semiconductor injection lasers that emit at THz frequencies (4.3 THz, λ ~ 69μm and 3.5 THz, λ ~ 85μm) and possess the potential for device-like implementation. They are based on the quantum cascade scheme employing interminiband transitions in the technologically mature AlGaAs/GaAs material system and feature a novel kind of waveguide loosely relying on the surface plasmon concpt. Continuous-wave laser emission is achieved with low thresholds of a few hundred A/cm² up to 45 K heat sink temperature and maximum output powers of more than 4mW. Under pulsed excitation, peak output powers of 4.5mW at low temperatures and still 1 mW at 65 K are measured. The amximum operating temperature is 67 K.

Citation Download Citation

Ruedeger Koehler, Alessandro Tredicucci, Fabio Beltram, Harvey E. Beere, Edmund H. Linfield, A. Giles Davies, and David A. Ritchie "Terahertz quantum cascade lasers", Proc. SPIE 4995, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers II, (3 July 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475764

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