Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of intensely pumped HgTe/CdHgTe quantum well (QW) heterostructures emitting at around 5 Îźm wavelength have been investigated. Based on the model description of the PL spectra using a free-electron recombination band approach, effective electronic temperatures were determined depending on the excitation density. Within the quasi-steady-state approximation, we establish the balance between pump-induced heating of the electron gas in the QWs and phonon-mediated dissipation of this excess energy and deduce hot-phonon lifetime of âź0.47 ps. Maximum operating temperatures for optically pumped HgTe/CdHgTe QW laser heterostructures emitting at around 5 Îźm are estimated depending on the excitation wavelength, and lasing at Peltier temperatures appears feasible for the pump wavelength of about 3 Îźm. Thus, the entire 3âź5 Îźm atmospheric transparency window can be potentially covered by thermoelectrically cooled HgCdTe-based laser sources.
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