We present an experimental study of the turn-on delay in pulsed mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. We report the unexpectedly long delay time depending on the pumping current, which does not agree with conventional theoretical predictions for step-like excitation. Similar behavior has been observed in InP- and InAs-based QCLs emitting near 8${mu}$m. Numerical simulations performed using a model based on rate equations for excitation by current pulses with non-zero rise time provide fair agreement with our observations.
Phase-locking an array of quantum cascade lasers is an effective way to achieve higher output power and beam shaping. In this article, based on Talbot effect, we show a new-type phase-locked array of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers with an integrated spatial- filtering Talbot cavity. All the arrays show stable in-phase operation from the threshold current to full power current. The beam divergence of the array device is smaller than that of a single-ridge laser. We use the multi-slit Fraunhofer diffraction mode to interpret the far-field radiation profile and give a solution to get better beam quality. The maximum power is just about 5 times that of a single-ridge laser for eleven-laser array device and 3 times for seven-laser array device. Considering the great modal selection ability, simple fabricating process and the potential for achieving better beam quality and smaller cavity loss, this new-type phase-locked array may be a hopeful and elegant solution to get high power or beam shaping.
Terahertz quantum cascade laser sources based on intra-cavity difference frequency generation from mid-IR devices are an important asset for applications in rotational molecular spectroscopy and sensing, beingthe only electrically pumped device able to operate in the 0.6-6 THz range without the need of bulky andexpensive liquid helium cooling. Here we present comb operation obtained by intra-cavity mixing of adistributed feedback laser at {lambda} = 6.5 {mu}m and a Fabry-Perot device at around {lambda} = 6.9 {mu}m. The resultingultra-broadband THz emission extends from 1.8 to 3.3 THz, with a total output power of 8 {mu}W at 78K.The THz emission has been characterized by multi-heterodyne detection with a primary frequencystandard referenced THz comb, obtained by optical rectification of near infrared pulses. The down-converted beatnotes, simultaneously acquired, confirm an equally spaced THz emission down to 1 MHzaccuracy. In the next future this setup can be used for Fourier transform based evaluation of the phaserelation among the emitted THz modes, paving the way to room-temperature, compact and field-deployable metrological grade THz frequency combs.
Quantum cascade laser (QCL)-pumped molecular lasers (QPMLs) have recently been introduced as a new source of powerful (>1 mW), tunable (>1 THz), narrow-band (<10 kHz), continuous-wave terahertz radiation. The performance of these lasers depends critically on molecular collision physics, pump saturation, and on the design of the laser cavity. Using a validated three-level model that captures the essential collision and saturation behaviors of the QPML gas nitrous oxide (N2O),we explore how threshold pump power and output terahertz power depend on pump power, gas pressure, as well as on the diameter, length, and output-coupler transmissivity of a cylindrical cavity.The analysis indicates that maximum power occurs as pump saturation is minimized in a manner that depends much more sensitively on pressure than on cell diameter, length, or transmissivity. A near-optimal compact laser cavity can produce more than 10 mW of power tunable over frequencies above 1 THz when pumped by a multi-watt QCL.
THz quantum cascade lasers based on a novel buried cavity geometry are demonstrated by combining double-metal waveguides with proton implantation. Devices are realised with emission at 2.8 THz, displaying ultra low threshold currents of 19 mA at 4K in both pulsed and continuous wave operation. Thanks to the semiconductor material on both sides of the active region and to the narrow width of the top metal strip, the thermal properties of these devices have been greatly improved. A decrease of the thermal resistance by over a factor of two compared to standard ridge double-metal lasers of similar size has been measured.
We have developed terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers that exploit a double-periodicity distributed feedback grating to control the emission frequency and the output beam direction independently. The spatial refractive index modulation of the gratings necessary to provide optical feedback at a fixed frequency and, simultaneously, a far-field emission pattern centered at controlled angles, was designed through use of an appropriate wavevector scattering model. Single mode THz emission at angles tuned by design between 0{deg} and 50{deg} was realized, leading to an original phase-matching approach, lithographically independent, for highly collimated THz QCLs.
E. D. Cherotchenko
,V. V. Dudelev
,D. A. Mikhailov
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(2021)
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"Observation of long turn-on delay in pulsed quantum cascade lasers"
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Evgeniia Cherotchenko
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