High-Power, High-Efficiency Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers

Botez, D.; Kirch, Jeremy; Boyle, C.; Oresick, K.; Sigler, C.; Lindberg, D.; Earles, T.; Mawst, Luke J.

doi:10.1364/cleo_si.2018.sf3g.1

Cited by 4 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Since its invention in the 1990s, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have evolved into a mainstream mid-IR laser technology [26]. In this feature issue, Botez et al demonstrated QCLs emitting at ~5 μm wavelength based on a step-taper active-region with resonanttunneling extraction (STA-RE) concept [27]. The STA-RE design contributes enhanced internal efficiency of QCLs, and its advantage has been recently validated in QCLs emitting at 8-9 μm [28].…”

Section: Mid-ir Laser Materials and Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feature issue introduction: mid-infrared optical materials and their device applications

Mawst

Moss

et al. 2018

Opt. Mater. Express

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The mid-infrared (mid-IR, 2 to 10 μm) is a technologically important spectral regime for sensing, imaging, and communications. In the past few years, there has been a surge of interest in novel mid-IR optical materials as well as their device implementations to address the increasing demands from these applications. The 22 papers in this feature issue represent a diverse cross-section of the latest technological advances in this field, spanning mid-IR light generation, propagation, manipulation, and detection functions in free-space, fiber, and planar platforms. In terms of material systems, semiconductors, glasses, plasmonic metals, as well as nanostructures specifically engineered for the mid-IR band, are all extensively covered. We hope that the readers will enjoy the kaleidoscopic view of the burgeoning field of mid-IR optics and photonics through this feature issue.

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Section: Mid-ir Laser Materials and Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feature issue introduction: mid-infrared optical materials and their device applications

Mawst

Moss

et al. 2018

Opt. Mater. Express

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“…1):  exp (-ΔE/kT). By contrast, the step-tapered active-region (STA) QCL [7,8], schematically shown in Fig. 1 (b), consists of stepwise tapering the barrier heights in the AR such that their conduction-band offsets increase in energy from the injection to the exit barriers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such 4.6-5.0 m-emitting STA QCLs have demonstrated significant advantages in device design offered by the flexibility to control, via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) crystal growth, the composition (and strain) of each layer within a QCL structure. Such flexibility in crystal growth can be obtained with gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (GS-MBE) and has been used to design linearly-tapered active-region QCLs [2], so called tapered-active (TA) QCLs [7,8] which, however, inherently have lower ΔE values than STA-type device [7]; thus, higher carrier leakage [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Device Characteristics and Performance of 3.8-6.0 μm-Emitting QCLs 2.1 Pulsed Operation 2.1.1 Threshold-Current Density Assuming that the tunneling-injection efficiency inj,tun is basically unity, which is generally the case, the threshold-current density Jth is given by [8]:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where αm and αw are the mirror and waveguide losses, respectively, Jbf is the current corresponding to thermal backfilling of the ll level [12], αbf is a loss term that is used to represent backfilling, Γ is the opticalmode confinement factor, g is the differential gain as defined in [8], and p is called pumping efficiency which reflects the degree of carrier-leakage suppression [6]:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

High-Power Mid-Infrared (λ∼3-6 μm) Quantum Cascade Lasers

Mawst

Botez

2022

IEEE Photonics J.

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The performances of mid-infrared (IR) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are now reaching a maturity level that enables a variety of applications which require compact laser sources capable of watt-range output powers with high beam quality. We review the fundamental design issues and current performance limitations, focusing on InGaAs/AlInAs/InP QCLs with emission in the 3-6 m wavelength range. Metamorphic materials broaden the available compositions for accessing short emission wavelengths (≤3.5 m) or for integration with GaAs-and Si-photonics platforms. Conductionband engineering through the use of varying compositions throughout the active-region structure has been utilized to achieve the highest performance levels to date. Interface roughness scattering plays a dominant role in determining both the lower-laser-level lifetime as well as the carrier-leakage current. Numerous approaches have been implemented in attempts to control, scale, and stabilize the spatial mode to high output powers. Of all approaches photonic-crystal structures with high built-in index contrast, thus capable of maintaining modal properties under strong self-heating, are the most promising device configuration for achieving single-spatial-mode, single-lobe reliable CW operation to multiwattrange power levels. Such devices have demonstrated to date > 5W front-facet output powers with diffraction-limited beams in shortpulse operation.

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Reverse-Taper Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers for Coherent Power Scaling

et al. 2022

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We present a reverse-taper quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 4.6 µm, a novel-geometry device that can scale the output power while maintaining good beam quality. Buriedridge waveguides with tapered and straight regions were formed by ICP etching and HVPE regrowth -the tapered region scales the output power, while the emitting facet is located at the narrowend taper section, which provides mode filtering by suppressing high-order spatial modes. Beam profiles were observed under quasi-continuous-wave (QCW)/CW operation and beam quality (M 2 ) measurements along with beam-stability measurements were performed -a small degree of collimated-beam centroid movement (<0.46 mrad, peak-to-peak) was observed, along with M 2 values close to 1 up to ∼1 W QCW power. Devices of shorter cavity lengths were also investigated, indicating that the output power scales with the core-region volume but results in a small increase in angular deviation.

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High-Power, High-Efficiency Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Feature issue introduction: mid-infrared optical materials and their device applications

Feature issue introduction: mid-infrared optical materials and their device applications

High-Power Mid-Infrared (λ∼3-6 μm) Quantum Cascade Lasers

Reverse-Taper Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers for Coherent Power Scaling

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