Gain In Quantum Cascade Lasers Research Articles

Mid-infrared arrayed waveguide gratings using a quantum cascade laser gain medium as core material

Mid-infrared photonics is a widely researched field with several applications, such as chemical sensing and spectroscopy. The development of photonic integrated circuits for the mid-infrared can enable the reduction in device size, weight, and power (SWaP) consumption. This paper demonstrates arrayed waveguide gratings working in the mid-infrared regime (5–5.4 µm). Our devices are fabricated on an InP-based quantum cascade laser platform with the gain medium as the waveguide core. To minimize the propagation losses caused by free carrier absorption and intersubband absorption in the unbiased QCL structure, we exposed the photonic chips to proton implantation. The performance of three sets of AWGs with different etch depths was characterized. The lowest waveguide losses were measured to be 2 dB/cm. The best performing 7×1 AWG and 13×1 AWG designs featured insertion losses of −2dB and −2.5dB, respectively. This study showcases the feasibility of applying such a platform for easy integration with active components like lasers and photodetectors, paving the path for on-chip mid-infrared applications.

Monolithic beam combined quantum cascade laser arrays with integrated arrayed waveguide gratings.

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are ubiquitous mid-infrared sources owing to their flexible designs and compact footprints. Manufacturing multiwavelength QCL chips with high power levels and good beam quality is highly desirable for many applications. In this study, we demonstrate an λ ∼ 4.9 µm monolithic, wavelength beam-combined (WBC) infrared laser source by integrating on a single chip array of five QCL gain sections with an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). Optical feedback from the cleaved facets enables lasing, whereas the integrated AWG locks the emission spectrum of each gain section to its corresponding input channel wavelength and spatially combines their signals into a single-output waveguide. Our chip features high peak power from the common aperture exceeding 0.6 W for each input channel, with a side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of over 27 dB when operated in pulsed mode. Our active/passive integration approach allows for a seamless transition from the QCL ridges to the AWG without requiring regrowth or evanescent coupling schemes, leading to a robust design. These results pave the way for the development of highly compact mid-IR sources suitable for applications such as hyperspectral imaging.

Uniform spike trains in optically injected quantum cascade oscillators.

It has been experimentally and theoretically analyzed that noise-induced excitability in quantum well and quantum dot semiconductor laser systems usually produces sharp spike patterns of non-uniform amplitude. In this paper, we experimentally record that a quantum cascade oscillator injected externally with a monochromatic laser beam exhibits a series of highly uniform spike trains, which occur in the proximity of the saddle-node bifurcation. Theoretical analysis based on a properly designed single-mode rate equation model endowed with quantum noise reveals that this high uniformity has its primary origin in the ultrashort carrier lifetime of the quantum cascade laser gain medium that is typically close to 1 ps.

Design and Analysis of Si/CaF<sub>2</sub> Near-Infrared (λ∼1.7µm) DFB Quantum Cascade Laser for Silicon Photonics

We have designed a near-infrared wavelength Si/CaF2 DFB quantum cascade laser and investigated the possibility of single-mode laser oscillation by analysis of the propagation mode, gain, scattering time of Si quantum well, and threshold current density. As the waveguide and resonator, a slab-type waveguide structure with a Si/CaF2 active layer sandwiched by SiO2 on a Si (111) substrate and a grating structure in an n-Si conducting layer were assumed. From the results of optical propagation mode analysis, by assuming a λ/4-shifted bragg waveguide structure, it was found that the single vertical and horizontal TM mode propagation is possible at the designed wavelength of 1.70 μm. In addition, a design of the active layer is proposed and its current injection capability is roughly estimated to be 25.1 kA/cm2, which is larger than required threshold current density of 1.4 kA/cm2 calculated by combining analysis results of the scattering time, population inversion, gain of quantum cascade lasers, and coupling theory of a Bragg waveguide. The results strongly indicate the possibility of single-mode laser oscillation.

High-speed modulation of a terahertz quantum cascade laser by coherent acoustic phonon pulses

The fast modulation of lasers is a fundamental requirement for applications in optical communications, high-resolution spectroscopy and metrology. In the terahertz-frequency range, the quantum-cascade laser (QCL) is a high-power source with the potential for high-frequency modulation. However, conventional electronic modulation is limited fundamentally by parasitic device impedance, and so alternative physical processes must be exploited to modulate the QCL gain on ultrafast timescales. Here, we demonstrate an alternative mechanism to modulate the emission from a QCL device, whereby optically-generated acoustic phonon pulses are used to perturb the QCL bandstructure, enabling fast amplitude modulation that can be controlled using the QCL drive current or strain pulse amplitude, to a maximum modulation depth of 6% in our experiment. We show that this modulation can be explained using perturbation theory analysis. While the modulation rise-time was limited to ~800 ps by our measurement system, theoretical considerations suggest considerably faster modulation could be possible.

Design and simulation of losses in Ge/SiGe terahertz quantum cascade laser waveguides.

The waveguide losses from a range of surface plasmon and double metal waveguides for Ge/Si1-xGex THz quantum cascade laser gain media are investigated at 4.79 THz (62.6 μm wavelength). Double metal waveguides demonstrate lower losses than surface plasmonic guiding with minimum losses for a 10 μm thick active gain region with silver metal of 21 cm-1 at 300 K reducing to 14.5 cm-1 at 10 K. Losses for silicon foundry compatible metals including Al and Cu are also provided for comparison and to provide a guide for gain requirements to enable lasers to be fabricated in commercial silicon foundries. To allow these losses to be calculated for a range of designs, the complex refractive index of a range of nominally undoped Si1-xGex with x = 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 and doped Ge heterolayers were extracted from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements between 0.1 and 10 THz and from 300 K down to 10 K. The results demonstrate losses comparable to similar designs of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser plasmon waveguides indicating that a gain threshold of 15.1 cm-1 and 23.8 cm-1 are required to produce a 4.79 THz Ge/SiGe THz laser at 10 K and 300 K, respectively, for 2 mm long double metal waveguide quantum cascade lasers with facet coatings.

Numerical analysis on capacity improvement in free space optical link employing two-segment quantum cascade laser based repeater

This article investigates the impact of a two-segment Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) based repeater on the performance of a Free Space Optical (FSO) communication link. The transmitter side of the FSO link consists of a single section QCL which emits short optical pulses at 9 μm into the free space. An optical repeater unit comprising of a Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP), high-gain, low-noise transimpedance amplifier and two-segment QCL (gain section and saturable absorber section) regenerates the pulses with increased power levels. The link parameters namely Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR), Bit Error Rate and Channel Capacity are computed for the FSO link in the presence and absence of repeater. It is found that the two-segment QCL based repeater improves the range of the FSO link by 640.2 m for a BER of 10−9. Further, an SNR enhancement of 28.53 dB is observed in the FSO link due to the introduction of repeater. The link also provides a maximum capacity of 9.48bps/Hz.

Frequency-tunable continuous-wave random lasers at terahertz frequencies

Random lasers are a class of devices in which feedback arises from multiple elastic scattering in a highly disordered structure, providing an almost ideal light source for artefact-free imaging due to achievable low spatial coherence. However, for many applications ranging from sensing and spectroscopy to speckle-free imaging, it is essential to have high-radiance sources operating in continuous-wave (CW). In this paper, we demonstrate CW operation of a random laser using an electrically pumped quantum-cascade laser gain medium in which a bi-dimensional (2D) random distribution of air holes is patterned into the top metal waveguide. We obtain a highly collimated vertical emission at ~3 THz, with a 430 GHz bandwidth, device operation up to 110 K, peak (pulsed) power of 21 mW, and CW emission of 1.7 mW. Furthermore, we show that an external cavity formed with a movable mirror can be used to tune a random laser, obtaining continuous frequency tuning over 11 GHz.

Comparative study of effects of group-velocity dispersion on midinfrared quantum-cascade lasers with Fabry–Perot and ring cavities

We focused on the effects of group-velocity dispersion (GVD) on the coherent pulse progression in midinfrared quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs). We carried out the study on Fabry–Perot (FP) cavities. Comparison of GVD effects on the two kinds of typical QCL cavities, i.e., FP and ring cavities, brings insight into the interaction between the GVD and spatial hole burning (SHB) effect, which is only supported by FP cavities but not ring cavities. The theoretical model is built based on the Maxwell–Bloch formulism accounting for two-way propagations of electric field and polarization as well as the couplings among the electric field, polarization, and population inversion. The pulse evolution in time–spatial domains is simulated by the finite-difference method with prior nondimensionalization, which is necessary for a convergent solution. Results predict that the SHB could broaden the QCL gain bandwidth and induce additional side modes closely around the central lasing mode with an intensity more pronounced than that of GVD associated side modes. Moreover, owing to the SHB, the lasing instability caused by GVD is weaker in an FP cavity than a ring cavity.

Effect of conduction band non-parabolicity on the optical gain of quantum cascade lasers based on the effective two-band finite difference method

We theoretically investigate the effect of conduction band non-parabolicity (NPB) on the optical gain spectrum of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using the effective two-band finite difference method. Based on the effective two-band model to consider the NPB effect in the multiple quantum wells (QWs), the wave functions and confined energies of electron states are calculated in two different active-region structures, which correspond to three-QW single-phonon and four-QW double-phonon resonance designs. In addition, intersubband optical dipole moments and polar-optical-phonon scattering times are calculated and compared without and with the conduction band NPB effect. Finally, the calculation results of optical gain spectra are compared in the two QCL structures having the same peak gain wavelength of 8.55 μm. The gain peaks are greatly shifted to longer wavelengths and the overall gain magnitudes are slightly reduced when the NPB effect is considered. Compared with the three-QW active-region design, the redshift of the peak gain is more prominent in the four-QW active-region design, which makes use of higher electronic states for the lasing transition.

Importance of coherence in models of mid-infrared quantum cascade laser gain spectra

We present a three-level model based on a density matrix to examine the influence of coherence and dephasing on the gain spectrum of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. The model is used to examine a quantum cascade active region with multiple optical transitions. We show how coherence can explain the origin of additional peaks in the gain spectrum. We also analyze the spectra calculated using the three-level model with a rate equation formalism to demonstrate the importance of considering interface roughness and limitations of the rate equation formalism. Specifically, we present how interface roughness influences the broadening and oscillator strength that are recovered using a rate equation analysis. The results of this work are important when considering the design of active regions with multiple optical transitions and could lead to devices with improved performance.

Dispersion dynamics of quantum cascade lasers

A key parameter underlying the efficacy of any nonlinear optical process is group velocity dispersion. In quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), there have been several recent demonstrations of devices exploiting nonlinearities in both the mid-infrared and the terahertz. Though the gain of QCLs has been well studied, the dispersion has been much less investigated, and several questions remain about its dynamics and precise origin. In this work, we use time-domain spectroscopy to investigate the dispersion of broadband terahertz QCLs, and demonstrate that contributions from both the material and the intersubband transitions are relevant. We show that in contrast to the laser gain—which is clamped to a fixed value above lasing threshold—the dispersion changes with bias even above threshold, which is a consequence of shifting intersubband populations. We also examine the role of higher-order dispersion in QCLs and discuss the ramifications of our result for devices utilizing nonlinear effects, such as frequency combs.

Engineering Multi-Section Quantum Cascade Lasers for Broadband Tuning

In an effort to overcome current limitations to electrical tuning of quantum cascade lasers, a strategy is proposed which combines heterogeneous quantum cascade laser gain engineering with sampled grating architectures. This approach seeks to not only widen the accessible spectral range for an individual emitter, but also compensate for functional non-uniformity of reflectivity and gain lineshapes. A trial laser with a dual wavelength core is presented which exhibits electroluminescence over a 750 cm−1 range and discrete single mode laser emission over a 700 cm−1 range. Electrical tuning over 180 cm−1 is demonstrated with a simple sampled grating design. A path forward to even wider tuning is also described using more sophisticated gain and grating design principles.

Analysis of the quantum cascade laser gain

A mathematical model of the quantum cascade structure was proposed for analyze the characteristics of the laser in the terahertz frequency range. Oscillation frequency and amplitude-frequency characteristics of the two promising superlattice laser heterostructures were designed by the developed model. The possibility of optimizing the structure and characteristics of the quantum cascade laser (QCL) by selecting the geometrical and electrical parameters is demonstratel. References 9, figures 4.

Microscopic density matrix model for optical gain of terahertz quantum cascade lasers: Many-body, nonparabolicity, and resonant tunneling effects

Intersubband semiconductor-Bloch equations are investigated by incorporating many-body Coulomb interaction, nonparabolicity, and coherence of resonant tunneling transport in a quantitative way based on the density matrix theory. The calculations demonstrate the importance of these parameters on optical properties, especially the optical gain spectrum, of terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The results show that the lasing frequency at gain peak calculated by the proposed microscopic density matrix model is closer to the experimentally measured result, compared with that calculated by the existing macroscopic density matrix model. Specifically, both the many-body interaction and nonparabolicity effects red-shift the gain spectrum and reduce the gain peak. In addition, as the injection-coupling strength increases, the gain peak value is enhanced and the spectrum is slightly broadened, while an increase of the extraction-coupling strength reduces the gain peak value and broadens the gain spectrum. The dependence of optical gain of THz QCLs on device parameters such as external electrical bias, dephasing rate, doping density, and temperature is also systematically studied in details. This model provides a more comprehensive picture of the optical properties of THz QCLs from a microscopic point of view and potentially enables a more accurate and faster prediction and calculation of the device performance, e.g., gain spectra, current-voltage characteristics, optical output powers, and nonlinear amplitude-phase coupling.

Design of three-well indirect pumping terahertz quantum cascade lasers for high optical gain based on nonequilibrium Green’s function analysis

The nonequilibrium Green’s function approach is applied to the design of three-well indirect pumping terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on a resonant phonon depopulation scheme. The effects of the anticrossing of the injector states and the dipole matrix element of the laser levels on the optical gain of THz QCLs are studied. The results show that a design that results in a more pronounced anticrossing of the injector states will achieve a higher optical gain in the indirect pumping scheme compared to the traditional resonant-tunneling injection scheme. This offers in general a more efficient coherent resonant-tunneling transport of electrons in the indirect pumping scheme. It is also shown that, for operating temperatures below 200 K and low lasing frequencies, larger dipole matrix elements, i.e., vertical optical transitions, offer a higher optical gain. In contrast, in the case of high lasing frequencies, smaller dipole matrix elements, i.e., diagonal optical transitions are better for achieving a higher optical gain.

A terahertz pulse emitter monolithically integrated with a quantum cascade laser

A terahertz pulse emitter monolithically integrated with a quantum cascade laser (QCL) is demonstrated. The emitter facet is excited by near-infrared pulses from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, and the resulting current transients generate terahertz pulses that are coupled into an electrically isolated QCL in proximity. These pulses are used to measure the gain of the laser transition at ∼2.2 THz, which clamps above threshold at ∼18 cm−1 and has a full width at half-maximum linewidth of ∼0.67 THz. The measurement also shows the existence of absorption features at different biases that correspond to misalignment of the band structure and to absorption within the two injector states. The simplicity of this scheme allows it to be implemented alongside standard QCL ridge processing and to be used as a versatile tool for characterizing QCL gain media.

Transport and gain in a quantum cascade laser: model and equivalent circuit

A simple rate-equation-based model for transport and gain in quantum cascade lasers is developed. According to the model, the IV characteristics of a quantum cascade laser can be well described by equivalent circuit containing a serial connection of a Schottky diode, a tunnel diode, and a field-effect transistor. As a consequence, a quantum cascade laser can be described in terms accessible to circuit designers.

Broadband quantum cascade laser gain medium based on a “continuum-to-bound” active region design

We present quantum cascade laser designs at 7–9 μm with two lower injector states strongly coupled with the upper laser state at the operating electric fields. Optical transitions from these three coupled states contribute to a large gain spectrum width (∼250 cm−1 full width at half maximum), which enables external cavity tuning of the lasers over 200 cm−1. Lasers show comparable performance to the conventional narrow band design at a similar wavelength with a peak modal gain coefficient of ∼10 kA/cm, a slope efficiency ∼1 W/A, and good temperature performance (T0=170 K) in pulsed mode operation at 295 K.

Quantum cascade laser gain enhancement by front facet illumination

Optical gain enhancement is demonstrated in a standard mid-infrared quantum cascade laser in pulse operation, using a near infrared illumination on the laser facet. An increase in the laser emission is observed, as well as greater dynamic range, threshold reduction, and a blue shift in the laser cavity modes. The optically induced gain increase allows for optical switching of the laser. All the changes have a nonlinear dependency on the illumination optical power and are attributed to the free carrier concentration increase and the electron transport change in the active region due to the near infrared illumination.