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Development of Terahertz Frequency Quantum Cascade Lasers for the Applications as Local Oscillators

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THz for CBRN and Explosives Detection and Diagnosis

Abstract

We report the development of terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers for applications as local oscillators. A range of active region designs and waveguide structures have been characterised in order to develop the devices for operation at high temperatures, with high output power and low dissipated power. Quantum cascade lasers based on a LO-phonon bound-to-continuum design emitting at 3.5 THz, suitable for the detection of hydroxyl, were fabricated with a double-metal (gold-gold) waveguide structure. These devices operated in continuous-wave up to 94 K, with an output power of 0.4 mW and dissipated power of 1.7 W at 10 K. A new, mechanically robust packaging and waveguide-integration scheme is also presented for operation outside laboratory environments, which further allows integration of quantum cascade lasers with terahertz waveguides, mixers and other system components. This integration scheme yielded a better beam quality, with a divergence of <20°, compared to standard double-metal devices. Its impacts on the device performance, such as operating temperature range, spectral emission, output power and electrical properties, are presented.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge financial support from the EPSRC (UK) ‘COTS’ programme, the ERC grant ‘NOTES’ and ‘TOSCA’, NERC (UK), the European Space Agency, and the CEOI-ST. AGD and EHL also acknowledge support from the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation. PD acknowledges support from EPSRC (UK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Y. J. Han, L. H. Li, A. Valavanis, J. X. Zhu, R. Dong, P. Dean, A. G. Davies & E. H. Linfield

  2. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK

    N. Brewster, L. Bushnell, M. Oldfield & B. Ellison

Authors
  1. Y. J. Han
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  2. L. H. Li
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  3. A. Valavanis
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  4. N. Brewster
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  5. J. X. Zhu
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  6. R. Dong
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  7. P. Dean
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  8. L. Bushnell
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  9. M. Oldfield
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  10. A. G. Davies
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  11. B. Ellison
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  12. E. H. Linfield
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y. J. Han .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Materials & Engineering Research In, Sheffield Halam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Mauro F. Pereira

  2. Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, Univ de Guanajuato, Dept Ingeniería Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico

    Oleksiy Shulika

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Han, Y.J. et al. (2017). Development of Terahertz Frequency Quantum Cascade Lasers for the Applications as Local Oscillators. In: Pereira, M., Shulika, O. (eds) THz for CBRN and Explosives Detection and Diagnosis. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1093-8_15

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