Recent Advances in Room Temperature, High-Power Terahertz Quantum Cascade Laser Sources Based on Difference-Frequency Generation

We present the current status of high-performance, compact, THz sources based on intracavity nonlinear frequency generation in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. Significant performance improvements of our THz sources in the power and wall plug efficiency are achieved by systematic optimizing the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhotonics Vol. 3; no. 3; p. 42
Main Authors Lu, Quanyong, Razeghi, Manijeh
Format Journal Article Book Review
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2016
Subjects
difference frequency generation
distributed feedback
Lasers
quantum cascade lasers
terahertz
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Summary:We present the current status of high-performance, compact, THz sources based on intracavity nonlinear frequency generation in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. Significant performance improvements of our THz sources in the power and wall plug efficiency are achieved by systematic optimizing the device's active region, waveguide, and chip bonding strategy. High THz power up to 1.9 mW and 0.014 mW for pulsed mode and continuous wave operations at room temperature are demonstrated, respectively. Even higher power and efficiency are envisioned based on enhancements in outcoupling efficiency and mid-IR performance. Our compact THz device with high power and wide tuning range is highly suitable for imaging, sensing, spectroscopy, medical diagnosis, and many other applications.
ISSN:2304-6732
2304-6732
DOI:10.3390/photonics3030042