Bound-to-continuum and two-phonon resonance, quantum-cascade lasers for high duty cycle, high-temperature operation

Faist, K.; Hofstetter, Daniel; Beck, Mattias; Aellen, Thierry; Rochat, Michel; Blaser, Stéphane

doi:10.1109/jqe.2002.1005404

Cited by 221 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Our device naming convention 063807-3 [45] (with a nominal doping of n = 2.5 × 10 18 cm −3 ), for which extensive band-structure calculations have been done [46]. The device length is 3 mm and width is 8 μm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator

et al. 2016

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We report the observation of a clear single-mode instability threshold in continuous-wave Fabry-Perot quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The instability is characterized by the appearance of sidebands separated by tens of free spectral ranges (FSR) from the first lasing mode, at a pump current not much higher than the lasing threshold. As the current is increased, higher-order sidebands appear that preserve the initial spacing, and the spectra are suggestive of harmonically phase-locked waveforms. We present a theory of the instability that applies to all homogeneously broadened standing-wave lasers. The low instability threshold and the large sideband spacing can be explained by the combination of an unclamped, incoherent Lorentzian gain due to the population grating, and a coherent parametric gain caused by temporal population pulsations that changes the spectral gain line shape. The parametric term suppresses the gain of sidebands whose separation is much smaller than the reciprocal gain recovery time, while enhancing the gain of more distant sidebands. The large gain recovery frequency of the QCL compared to the FSR is essential to observe this parametric effect, which is responsible for the multiple-FSR sideband separation. We predict that by tuning the strength of the incoherent gain contribution, for example by engineering the modal overlap factors and the carrier diffusion, both amplitude-modulated (AM) or frequency-modulated emission can be achieved from QCLs. We provide initial evidence of an AM waveform emitted by a QCL with highly asymmetric facet reflectivities, thereby opening a promising route to ultrashort pulse generation in the mid-infrared. Together, the experiments and theory clarify a deep connection between parametric oscillation in optically pumped microresonators and the single-mode instability of lasers, tying together literature from the last 60 years.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator

et al. 2016

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“…Whereas the ridge-waveguide lasers are based on a bound-to-continuum design [24] and were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), all the other devices are of the 2-phonon type [24] and were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). A detailed list of QCLs studied in this work is given in Table 2 together with their main parameters.…”

Section: Framework Of the Qcls Noise Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental study of noise in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers of different designs

et al. 2015

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“…where 21 and 32 are the scattering times, 3 the upper laser level lifetime, and z 32 the dipole matrix element for the lasing transition.…”

Section: Active Region Optimizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7] This is enabled by their complex structure, in which the sequence of alternating layers of different semiconductor materials is repeated many times. The first QCLs have been realized in the InGaAs/ AlInAs system, lattice matched on InP, and a significant improvement of the device performance, such as broad-band emission 8 or continuous wave room temperature 9 and ultrahigh power operation 10 has been achieved since.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards automated design of quantum cascade lasers

Mirčetić

Indjin

Ikonić

et al. 2005

Journal of Applied Physics

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We present an advanced technique for the design and optimization of GaAs/ AlGaAs quantum cascade laser structures. It is based on the implementation of the simulated annealing algorithm with the purpose of determining a set of design parameters that satisfy predefined conditions, leading to an enhancement of the device output characteristics. Two important design aspects have been addressed: improved thermal behavior, achieved by the use of higher conduction band offset materials, and a more efficient extraction mechanism, realized via a ladder of three lower laser states, with subsequent pairs separated by the optical phonon energy. A detailed analysis of performance of the obtained structures is carried out within a full self-consistent rate equations model of the carrier dynamics. The latter uses wave functions calculated by the transfer matrix method, and evaluates all relevant carrier-phonon and carrier-carrier scattering rates from each quantized state to all others within the same and neighboring periods of the cascade. These values are then used to form a set of rate equations for the carrier density in each state, enabling further calculation of the current density and gain as a function of the applied field and temperature. This paper addresses the application of the described procedure to the design of ϳ 9 m GaAs-based mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers and presents the output characteristics of some of the designed optimized structures.

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Bound-to-continuum and two-phonon resonance, quantum-cascade lasers for high duty cycle, high-temperature operation

Cited by 221 publications

References 46 publications

Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator

Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator

An experimental study of noise in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers of different designs

Towards automated design of quantum cascade lasers

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