Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz

Design strategies for improving terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in the 5–6 THz range are investigated numerically and experimentally, with the goal of overcoming the degradation in performance that occurs as the laser frequency approaches the Reststrahlen band. Two designs aimed at 5.4...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shahili Mohammad, Addamane Sadhvikas J., Kim Anthony D., Curwen Christopher A., Kawamura Jonathan H., Williams Benjamin S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2024-01-01
Series:Nanophotonics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2023-0726
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850063767362076672
author Shahili Mohammad
Addamane Sadhvikas J.
Kim Anthony D.
Curwen Christopher A.
Kawamura Jonathan H.
Williams Benjamin S.
author_facet Shahili Mohammad
Addamane Sadhvikas J.
Kim Anthony D.
Curwen Christopher A.
Kawamura Jonathan H.
Williams Benjamin S.
author_sort Shahili Mohammad
collection DOAJ
description Design strategies for improving terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in the 5–6 THz range are investigated numerically and experimentally, with the goal of overcoming the degradation in performance that occurs as the laser frequency approaches the Reststrahlen band. Two designs aimed at 5.4 THz were selected: one optimized for lower power dissipation and one optimized for better temperature performance. The active regions exhibited broadband gain, with the strongest modes lasing in the 5.3–5.6 THz range, but with other various modes observed ranging from 4.76 to 6.03 THz. Pulsed and continuous-wave (cw) operation is observed up to temperatures of 117 K and 68 K, respectively. In cw mode, the ridge laser has modes up to 5.71 THz – the highest reported frequency for a THz QCL in cw mode. The waveguide loss associated with the doped contact layers and metallization is identified as a critical limitation to performance above 5 THz.
format Article
id doaj-art-eb4a04ead89341b0b1bd5f062c3fdcfb
institution DOAJ
issn 2192-8614
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Nanophotonics
spelling doaj-art-eb4a04ead89341b0b1bd5f062c3fdcfb2025-08-20T02:49:30ZengDe GruyterNanophotonics2192-86142024-01-0113101735174310.1515/nanoph-2023-0726Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THzShahili Mohammad0Addamane Sadhvikas J.1Kim Anthony D.2Curwen Christopher A.3Kawamura Jonathan H.4Williams Benjamin S.5Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095, USASandia National Laboratories, Center of Integrated Nanotechnologies, MS 1303, Albuquerque, NM87185, USADepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109, USADepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095, USADesign strategies for improving terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in the 5–6 THz range are investigated numerically and experimentally, with the goal of overcoming the degradation in performance that occurs as the laser frequency approaches the Reststrahlen band. Two designs aimed at 5.4 THz were selected: one optimized for lower power dissipation and one optimized for better temperature performance. The active regions exhibited broadband gain, with the strongest modes lasing in the 5.3–5.6 THz range, but with other various modes observed ranging from 4.76 to 6.03 THz. Pulsed and continuous-wave (cw) operation is observed up to temperatures of 117 K and 68 K, respectively. In cw mode, the ridge laser has modes up to 5.71 THz – the highest reported frequency for a THz QCL in cw mode. The waveguide loss associated with the doped contact layers and metallization is identified as a critical limitation to performance above 5 THz.https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2023-0726quantum cascade laserterahertzreststrahlen bandgallium arsenidenonequilibrium green’s function
spellingShingle Shahili Mohammad
Addamane Sadhvikas J.
Kim Anthony D.
Curwen Christopher A.
Kawamura Jonathan H.
Williams Benjamin S.
Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
Nanophotonics
quantum cascade laser
terahertz
reststrahlen band
gallium arsenide
nonequilibrium green’s function
title Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
title_full Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
title_fullStr Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
title_full_unstemmed Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
title_short Continuous-wave GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser at 5.7 THz
title_sort continuous wave gaas algaas quantum cascade laser at 5 7 thz
topic quantum cascade laser
terahertz
reststrahlen band
gallium arsenide
nonequilibrium green’s function
url https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2023-0726
work_keys_str_mv AT shahilimohammad continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz
AT addamanesadhvikasj continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz
AT kimanthonyd continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz
AT curwenchristophera continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz
AT kawamurajonathanh continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz
AT williamsbenjamins continuouswavegaasalgaasquantumcascadelaserat57thz