Terahertz quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation are currently the only electrically pumped monolithic semiconductor light sources operating at room temperature in the 1–6-THz spectral range. Relying on the active regions with the giant second-order nonlinear susceptibility and the Cherenkov phase-matching scheme, these devices demonstrated drastic improvements in performance in the past several years and can now produce narrow-linewidth single-mode terahertz emission that is tunable from 1 to 6 THz with power output sufficient for imaging and spectroscopic applications. This paper reviews the progress of this technology. Recent efforts in wave function engineering using a new active region design based on a dual-upper-state concept led to a significant enhancement of the optical nonlinearity of the active region for efficient terahertz generation. The transfer of Cherenkov devices from their native semi-insulating InP substrates to high-resistivity silicon substrates resulted in a dramatic improvement in the outcoupling efficiency of terahertz radiation. Cherenkov terahertz QCL sources based on the dual-upper-state design have also been shown to exhibit ultra-broadband comb-like terahertz emission spectra with more than one octave of terahertz frequency span. The broadband terahertz QCL sources operating in continuous-wave mode produces the narrow inter-mode beat-note linewidth of 287 Hz, which indicates frequency comb operation of mid-infrared pumps and thus supports potential terahertz comb operation. Finally, we report the high-quality terahertz imaging obtained by a THz imaging system using terahertz QCL sources based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation.
Terahertz quantum cascade laser sources with intra-cavity non-linear frequency mixing are the first room-temperature electrically pumped monolithic semiconductor sources that operate in the 1.2–5.9 THz spectral range. However, high performance in low-frequency range is difficult because converted terahertz waves suffer from significantly high absorption in waveguides. Here, we report a sub-terahertz electrically pumped monolithic semiconductor laser. This sub-terahertz source is based on a high-performance, long-wavelength (λ ≈ 13.7 μm) quantum cascade laser in which high-efficiency terahertz generation occurs. The device produces peak output power of 11 μW within the 615–788 GHz frequency range at room temperature. Additionally, a source emitting at 1.5 THz provides peak output power of 287 μW at 110 K. The generated terahertz radiation of <2 THz is mostly attributable to the optical rectification process in long-wavelength infrared quantum cascade lasers.
We report the performance of room temperature terahertz sources based on intracavity differencefrequency generation in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers with a dual-upper-state (DAU) active region. DAU active region design is theoretically expected to produce larger optical nonlinearity for terahertz difference-frequency generation, compared to the active region designs of the boundto-continuum type used previously. Fabricated buried heterostructure devices with a two-section buried distributed feedback grating and the waveguide designed for Cherenkov differencefrequency phase-matching scheme operate in two single-mode mid-infrared wavelengths at 10.7 lm and 9.7 lm and produce terahertz output at 2.9 THz with mid-infrared to terahertz conversion efficiency of 0.8 mW/W 2 at room temperature. V
We present ultra-broadband room temperature monolithic terahertz quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation, emitting continuously more than one octave in frequency between 1.6 and 3.8 THz, with a peak output power of ~200 μW. Broadband terahertz emission is realized by nonlinear mixing between single-mode and multi-mode spectra due to distributed feedback grating and Fabry-Perot cavity, respectively, in a mid-infrared QCL with dual-upper-state active region design. Besides, at low temperature of 150 K, the device produces a peak power of ~1.0 mW with a broadband THz emission centered at 2.5 THz, ranging from 1.5 to 3.7 THz.
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