Compact and sensitive heterodyne receiver at 2.7 THz exploiting a quasi-optical HEB-QCL coupling scheme

Joint, François; Gay, G.; Vigneron, P.; Vacelet, T.; Pirotta, Stefano; Lefèvre, R.; Jin, Yuan; Li, L. H.; Davies, A. G.; Linfield, E. H.; Delorme, Y.; Colombelli, R.

doi:10.1063/1.5116351

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…These levels of continuous-wave power and efficiency are higher than other cw THz QC-lasers reported to operate above 4.5 THz 19,24,25 , and are comparable to some of the smallest 3 rd -order distributed feedback devices. 26,27 Several novel approaches to microcavity THz QCLs have yielded very small devices 28,29 , but to fully evaluate the applicability of any solution, matters such as power, beam pattern, and frequency control must all be considered. Further reductions in the dissipated power of the QC-VECSEL may be achieved by using very short external cavities and smaller diameter metasurfaces (a metasurface with a 500 µm bias diameter was demonstrated in Ref.…”

Section: ( )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Terahertz quantum-cascade patch-antenna VECSEL with low power dissipation

Curwen

Reno

Williams

2020

Applied Physics Letters

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We report a terahertz quantum-cascade vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (QC-VECSEL) based upon a metasurface consisting of an array of gain-loaded resonant patch antennas. Compared with the typical ridge-based metasurfaces previously used for QC-VECSELs, the patch antenna surface can be designed with a much sparser fill factor of gain material, which allows for reduced heat dissipation and improved thermal performance. It also exhibits larger amplification thanks to enhanced interaction between the incident radiation and the QC-gain material. We demonstrate devices that produce several milliwatts of continuous-wave power in a single mode at ~4.6 THz, and dissipate less than 1 W of pump power. Use of different output couplers demonstrates the ability to optimize device performance for either high power, or high operating temperature. Maximum demonstrated power is 6.7 mW at 4 K (0.67% wall-plug efficiency (WPE)), and 0.8 mW at 77 K (0.06% WPE). Directive output beams are measured throughout with divergence angles of ~5°. THE MANUSCRIPT The terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade (QC) vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) is a recently developed approach for designing THz QC-lasers with scalable output power and high-quality beam patterns. 1 The enabling component of the QC-VECSEL is an amplifying metasurfacea reflectarray of resonant antenna-coupled THz QC-gain elements with subwavelength spacing that exhibits a reflectance R greater than unity across some finite gain bandwidth. The antenna elements are unable to lase on their own due to high surface radiation losses, but instead, the metasurface is used as the amplifying element of an external cavity laser. The external cavity mode effectively phase locks the antenna elements, and because the metasurface can be made large relative to the lasing wavelength, near-diffraction-limited beams with high power have been observed. 2 The external-cavity allows one to more easily modify the outcoupling efficiency and cavity resonant frequency, 3 while the metasurface offers unique opportunities such as engineering of "flat-optics" focusing 2 and polarization switchability. 4 The typical metasurface design consists of a 1D sub-wavelength array of narrow metal-metal ridges of width w and period Λ that are coupled to surface radiation via the TM01 cutoff resonances of the ridges. 5,6 This design has been used to realize many high-performance VECSELs operating between 3-4 THz. 3,7,8

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Section: ( )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Terahertz quantum-cascade patch-antenna VECSEL with low power dissipation

Curwen

Reno

Williams

2020

Applied Physics Letters

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“…Spaceborne THz deployments have been relatively few and instruments operating above 1 THz are even rarer [193]. This primarily arises from the relatively immature status of payload technology, though advancements are being made that increase the potential for THz observation in relation to both Earth observation and astronomy [197,198]. When compared with optical counterparts, THz structures are large and spatial imaging capabilities are inferior.…”

Section: Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 2023 terahertz science and technology roadmap

Dhillon¹,

Vitiello²,

Linfield³

et al. 2023

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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180

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Terahertz (THz) radiation encompasses a wide spectral range within the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from microwaves to the far infrared (100 GHz to ~30 THz). Within its frequency boundaries exist a broad variety of scientific disciplines that have presented, and continue to present, technical challenges to researchers. During the past 50 years, for instance, the demands of the scientific community have substantially evolved and with a need for advanced instrumentation to support radio astronomy, Earth observation, weather forecasting, security imaging, telecommunications, non-destructive device testing and much more. Furthermore, applications have required an emergence of technology from the laboratory environment to production-scale supply and in-the-field deployments ranging from harsh ground-based locations to deep space. In addressing these requirements, the research and development community has advanced related technology and bridged the transition between electronics and photonics that high frequency operation demands. The multidisciplinary nature of THz work was our stimulus for creating the 2017 THz Science and Technology Roadmap (S S Dhillon et al 2017 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 043001). As one might envisage, though, there remains much to explore both scientifically and technically and the field has continued to develop and expand rapidly. It is timely, therefore, to revise our previous roadmap and in this 2023 version we both provide an update on key developments in established technical areas that have important scientific and public benefit, and highlight new and emerging areas that show particular promise. The developments that we describe thus span from fundamental scientific research, such as THz astronomy and the emergent area of THz quantum optics, to highly applied and commercially and societally impactful subjects that include 6G THz communications, medical imaging, and climate monitoring and prediction.

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“…These components are pivotal in advancing astrophysical and planetary heterodyne receivers. The main elements of optical receivers�the detector, the local oscillator (LO), 2 the first amplifier, 3 and the back-end electronics 4 � must all be state-of-the-art. Space missions, in particular, require components that are low in mass and volume and can operate within the constraints of limited cooling power (typically ≤100 mW at 4 K) and overall mission power.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terahertz Antenna Impedance Matched to a Graphene Photodetector

Joint,

Zhang,

Poojali

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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Developing low-power, high-sensitivity photodetectors for the terahertz (THz) band that operate at room temperature is an important challenge in optoelectronics. In this study, we introduce a photothermal-electric effect detector based on quasi-free-standing bilayer graphene on a silicon carbide substrate, designed for the THz frequency range. Our detector's performance hinges on a quasi-optical coupling scheme, which integrates an aspherical silicon lens, to optimize impedance matching between the THz antenna and the graphene p−n junction. At room temperature, we achieved a noise equivalent power of less than 300 pW/ Hz . Through an impedance matching analysis, we coupled a planar antenna with a graphene p−n junction, inserted in parallel to the nanogap of the antenna, via two coupling capacitors. By adjusting the capacitors and the antenna arm length, we tailored the antenna's maximum infrared power absorption to specific frequencies. The sensitivity, spectral properties, and scalability of our material make it an ideal candidate for future development of far-infrared detectors operating at room temperature.

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Compact and sensitive heterodyne receiver at 2.7 THz exploiting a quasi-optical HEB-QCL coupling scheme

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Terahertz quantum-cascade patch-antenna VECSEL with low power dissipation

Terahertz quantum-cascade patch-antenna VECSEL with low power dissipation

The 2023 terahertz science and technology roadmap

Terahertz Antenna Impedance Matched to a Graphene Photodetector

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