High-performance interband cascade lasers emitting between 3.3 and 3.5 microns

J. D. Bruno; R. P. Leavitt; J. L. Bradshaw; K. M. Lascola; J. T. Pham; F. J. Towner

doi:10.1117/12.919346

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17 May 2012 High-performance interband cascade lasers emitting between 3.3 and 3.5 microns

J. D. Bruno, R. P. Leavitt, J. L. Bradshaw, K. M. Lascola, J. T. Pham, F. J. Towner

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Proceedings Volume 8374, Next-Generation Spectroscopic Technologies V; 83740L (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.919346
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Semiconductor laser performance in the 3 to 4 micron wavelength region has lagged behind lasers at longer and shorter wavelengths. However, recent advances by the group at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have markedly changed this situation, and in a recent collaboration with the NRL group, we demonstrated high performance interband cascade lasers at 3.8 microns. In this work, we present results extending this earlier work to shorter wavelengths. In particular, we designed four new interband cascade lasers at target wavelengths between 3.3 and 3.5 microns. Initial testing of broad area devices show threshold current densities of ~230 A/cm² at 300K, almost a factor of two lower than the ~425 A/cm² results obtained on the broad area devices at 3.8 microns. In this paper, we present performance data on these broad area lasers and also data on narrow ridge devices fabricated from the same material.

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J. D. Bruno, R. P. Leavitt, J. L. Bradshaw, K. M. Lascola, J. T. Pham, and F. J. Towner "High-performance interband cascade lasers emitting between 3.3 and 3.5 microns", Proc. SPIE 8374, Next-Generation Spectroscopic Technologies V, 83740L (17 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.919346

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