太赫兹量子级联激光器功率达到1W

正近日国外网媒报道,奥地利维也纳技术大学的一组研究人员制造出一种新型量子级联激光器,成功输出了1W的太赫兹辐射,打破了此前由美国麻省理工学院所保持的0.25W的世界纪录,成为目前世界上功率最大的太赫兹量子级联激光器。太赫兹射线是波长介于微波与红外之间的一种电磁辐射,由于物质的太赫兹光谱(包括透射谱和反射谱)包含非常丰富的物理和化学信息,太赫兹技术被认为会对通信、遥感、天文、反恐、医学成像以及生     

THz量子级联激光器的材料生长和器件制作

采用分子束外延的方法，生长了GaAs／Al0.17Ga0.85As基共振声子辅助跃迁的太赫兹量子级联激光器结构，并按照单面金属波导的工艺进行了器件制作。材料的结构由高分辨X射线衍射来确定。在温度为9-150K的范围内，测量了器件的I-V曲线。     

单模太赫兹半导体激光器高精度调谐特性研究

大量物质的特征吸收谱在太赫兹范围内,因此近年来太赫兹光谱应用的发展备受关注。相比于现有的商业光谱仪,基于可调谐单模激光器的光谱测量方法具有高精度和高光谱获取速度的优势。太赫兹量子级联激光器是可调谐激光源的理想选择。在利用其实现光谱测量前,需对其调谐特性进行研究,但是现有测量方法受到精度限制。研究发现,利用太赫兹量子级联光频梳和单模激光器之间的拍频,可在微波波段得到对应的拍频信号。当调谐单模激光器时,拍频信号会发生相应的频移。因此,结合量子级联激光器的自探测,利用频谱分析仪测量拍频信号的频移情况,可以实现对单模激光器调谐的高精度测量。最终得到所测太赫兹单模激光器的调谐速率为53 MHz/K（温度调谐）和2.7 MHz/mA（电流调谐）。     

“量子级联”激光器

“量子级联”激光器普通半导体激光器受化学结构制约，它大约以相当于导带价带差的能量向外辐射，因而不能发射中远红外范围的光。过去，为获得新的波长，人们在研制新的半导体合金上动了相当大的脑筋。而现在，美国电话电报公司贝尔实验室ＦｅｂｄｒｉｃｏＣａｐａｓｓｏ...     

太赫兹双通带波导滤波器结构探讨

本文通过比较波导滤波器设计在太赫兹波段与微波波段的区别,阐述太赫兹滤波器的设计要点。结合传统双通带滤波器设计理论,提出了几种适合太赫兹频段的波导双通带滤波器结构。     

腔面镀膜分布反馈量子级联激光器

报道了后腔面蒸镀高反射率镀膜工艺及其对分布反馈量子级联激光器性能影响的研究结果.与没有腔面镀膜的器件相比,采用了腔面镀膜工艺的器件,室温下的阈值电流密度降低了20%,前腔面出光峰值功率提高了50%,斜率效率提高了44%.通过对比镀膜和未镀膜器件的闻值电流密度,估算出器件的波导损耗约为7.25cm-1.     

基于太赫兹量子阱光电探测器的成像技术研究进展

太赫兹(THz)波对非极性材料有较好的穿透性,对生物医学组织无电离效应,因而非常适合无损检测、生物医学成像等应用。THz量子阱光电探测器(THz QWPs)具有响应速度快、响应率高、噪声等效功率低、体积小的特点。相较于其他探测器,THz QWPs作为成像系统接收器时,系统具有成像分辨率高、成像速度快、成像信噪比高、结构紧凑等优势。本文综述了基于THz QWPs的成像研究进展,并对成像系统核心指标的影响因素进行了分析和总结。采用更稳定的装置固定THz QWPs,提升器件响应速度、探测灵敏度、阵列规模,可以有效提升系统各项核心性能。     

太赫兹QCL技术研究进展

综述了太赫兹QCL(THzQCL)有源区结构设计与制备、波导结构设计和频率控制3方面的基本原理及研究进展.THzQCL有源区薄膜厚度、组分和掺杂浓度的精确控制是材料制备过程的关键.通过提高注入电流和器件温度的稳定性可以有效减小THzQCL线宽和提高频率稳定性.随着器件功率和频率特性的提升,THz QCL将在通讯、成像和谱分析等技术领域获得广泛的应用.     

基于量子级联激光器的中远红外高反射率测量

利用光腔衰荡技术开展了中远红外波段的高反镜反射率测量研究.以中心波长9.7μm附近的脉冲量子级联激光器为光源,构建了高反射率测量实验装置.利用该装置对不同腔长下腔镜的反射率进行了测量,最终测定其反射率为99.9464%,测量重复性误差优于0.0014%.实验表明该测量装置重复性精度高,可用于中远红外高反镜反射率的精确测量.     

中科院半导体所砷化镓基量子级联激光器研制成功

在国家自然科学基金重点项目、国家“973”和“863”项目共同支持下，中国科学院半导体研究所材料科学重点实验室于近日在量子级联激光器研究方面获得重大突破。在亚洲首次研制成功具有自主知识产权的砷化镓基量子级联激光器，     

Nonlinear optical interactions of laser modes in quantum cascade lasers

We overview the results of recent experimental and theoretical studies of nonlinear dynamics of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) associated with nonlinear interactions of laser modes. Particular attention is paid to phase-sensitive nonlinear mode mixing which turns out to be quite prominent in QCLs of different kinds and which gives rise to frequency and phase locking of laser modes. Nonlinear phase coupling of laser modes in QCLs leads to a variety of ultrafast and coherent phenomena: synchronization of transverse modes, beam steering, the RNGH multimode instability, and generation of mode-locked ultrashort pulses.     

Transformation of the multimode terahertz quantum cascade laser beam into a Gaussian, using a hollow dielectric waveguide

We demonstrate that a short hollow dielectric tube can act as a dielectric waveguide and transform the multimode, highly diverging terahertz quantum cascade laser beam into the lowest order dielectric waveguide hybrid mode, EH(11), which then couples efficiently to the free-space Gaussian mode, TEM(00). This simple approach should enable terahertz quantum cascade lasers to be employed in applications where a spatially coherent beam is required.     

Variation of the emission frequency of a terahertz quantum cascade laser

The variation of the emission frequency of a quantum cascade laser of the 3.2 THz range within a single radiation pulse was studied using high-resolution Fourier spectroscopy. A significant (108 MHz) increase in frequency in the first 4 μs of a pulse was found. This increase is attributed to a change in the electron part of permittivity of the laser active region coinciding with a rise in the emission intensity. The frequency dropped by 81 MHz in the following 40 μs of a radiation pulse due to a change in the lattice part of permittivity occurring as the laser active region was heated during a radiation pulse.     

Plasmonic waveguides mediated energy transfer between two distant quantum dots

We investigate theoretically the radiative energy transfer between two distant quantum dots (QDs) mediated by the guided modes of Ag nanowire. The cross decay rate between the two quantum dots is derived with Markov approximation and the decay behaviors of the superradiant state and the subradiant state of quantum dots are exhibited. Due to the interference of the radiation emitted by the two QDs, the cross decay rate, the decay rates of the superradiant state, and the subradiant state show oscillation behaviors. This reveals that energy transfer from one QD to a distant QD can be controlled by adjusting the distance between the two QDs due to the periodicity of the cross decay rate.     

Influence of terahertz pulse width on two-dimensional terahertz spectroscopy

The influence of the width of terahertz (THz) pulses on two-dimensional THz spectroscopy (2DTS) has been studied theoretically via a classical method in which the expressions for the second-order nonlinear polarizations with different nonlinear sources are derived by using a perturbation approach. Compared to the common disposal method in which the THz pulse is treated as a delta function, some terms that were of unknown physical meaning or vanished will come into force when the width is considered. Three types of nonlinear sources, i.e. anharmonicity, nonlinear damping and nonlinear coupling, are considered for a single mode system. The simulation results demonstrate that the width of the incident THz pulse can markedly affect the properties of 2DTS and that different sources have different influences. This study reveals a more practical insight for 2DTS and could provide much information, such as the optimal width and interval of THz pulses, to guide possible future experiments.     

Approximate analytical expressions for pulse modulation response of quantum cascade lasers

Approximate analytical expressions for turn-on delay, rise time and fall time for pulse modulation of the drive current of quantum cascade lasers are presented. These time expressions are obtained using piece-wise analysis of rate equations. From the analytical expressions, the effects of laser parameters and off and on currents are discussed. A numerical analysis shows reasonable agreement with analytical results. It also confirms the predictions from analytical results. The pulse response is compared with that of near-infrared interband lasers.