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

Shahili, Mohammad; Addamane, Sadhvikas Jayachandra; Kim, Anthony D.; Curwen, Christopher A.; Kawamura, Jonathan H.; Williams, Benjamin S.

doi:10.1515/nanoph-2023-0726

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

Journal Article · Tue Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Nanophotonics (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2023-0726· OSTI ID:2349193

^[1]; Addamane, Sadhvikas Jayachandra ^[2]; Kim, Anthony D. ^[1]; Curwen, Christopher A. ^[3]; Kawamura, Jonathan H. ^[3]; Williams, Benjamin S. ^[1]

Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)

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.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies

Sponsoring Organization:: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 2349193

Report Number(s):: SAND--2024-05822J

Journal Information:: Nanophotonics (Online), Journal Name: Nanophotonics (Online) Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 13; ISSN 2192-8614

Publisher:: de GruyterCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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

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