Tradeoffs between oscillator strength and lifetime in terahertz quantum cascade lasers
Abstract
Contemporary research into diagonal active region terahertz quantum cascade lasers for high temperature operation has yielded little success. We present evidence that the failure of high diagonality alone as a design strategy is due to a fundamental trade-off between large optical oscillator strength and long upper-level lifetime. Here, we hypothesize that diagonality needs to be paired with increased doping in order to succeed, and present evidence that highly diagonal designs can benefit from much higher doping than normally found in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. In assuming the benefits of high diagonality paired with high doping, we also highlight important challenges that need to be overcome, specifically the increased importance of carrier induced band-bending and impurity scattering.
- Authors:
-
[1];
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1335467
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1332013
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2016-8992J
Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951; APPLAB; 647331
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 109; Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
Citation Formats
Chan, Chun Wang I., Albo, Asaf, Hu, Qing, and Reno, John L. Tradeoffs between oscillator strength and lifetime in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4967244.
Chan, Chun Wang I., Albo, Asaf, Hu, Qing, & Reno, John L. Tradeoffs between oscillator strength and lifetime in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4967244
Chan, Chun Wang I., Albo, Asaf, Hu, Qing, and Reno, John L. Mon .
"Tradeoffs between oscillator strength and lifetime in terahertz quantum cascade lasers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4967244. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1335467.
@article{osti_1335467,
title = {Tradeoffs between oscillator strength and lifetime in terahertz quantum cascade lasers},
author = {Chan, Chun Wang I. and Albo, Asaf and Hu, Qing and Reno, John L.},
abstractNote = {Contemporary research into diagonal active region terahertz quantum cascade lasers for high temperature operation has yielded little success. We present evidence that the failure of high diagonality alone as a design strategy is due to a fundamental trade-off between large optical oscillator strength and long upper-level lifetime. Here, we hypothesize that diagonality needs to be paired with increased doping in order to succeed, and present evidence that highly diagonal designs can benefit from much higher doping than normally found in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. In assuming the benefits of high diagonality paired with high doping, we also highlight important challenges that need to be overcome, specifically the increased importance of carrier induced band-bending and impurity scattering.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4967244},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 20,
volume = 109,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Mon Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Phase-locked photonic wire lasers by π coupling
journal, December 2018
- Khalatpour, Ali; Reno, John L.; Hu, Qing
- Nature Photonics, Vol. 13, Issue 1
Split-well direct-phonon terahertz quantum cascade lasers
journal, May 2019
- Albo, Asaf; Flores, Yuri V.; Hu, Qing
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 114, Issue 19