Terahertz quantum cascade lasers with copper metal-metal waveguides operating up to 178 K

Mikhail A Belkin; Jonathan A Fan; Sahand Hormoz; Federico Capasso; Suraj P Khanna; Mohamed Lachab; A G Davies; Edmund H Linfield

doi:10.1364/oe.16.003242

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers with copper metal-metal waveguides operating up to 178 K

Opt Express. 2008 Mar 3;16(5):3242-8. doi: 10.1364/oe.16.003242.

Authors

Mikhail A Belkin¹, Jonathan A Fan, Sahand Hormoz, Federico Capasso, Suraj P Khanna, Mohamed Lachab, A G Davies, Edmund H Linfield

Affiliation

¹ Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. mbelkin@seas.harvard.edu

PMID: 18542411
DOI: 10.1364/oe.16.003242

Abstract

We report terahertz quantum cascade lasers operating in pulsed mode at an emission frequency of 3 THz and up to a maximum temperature of 178 K. The improvement in the maximum operating temperature is achieved by using a three-quantum-well active region design with resonant-phonon depopulation and by utilizing copper, instead of gold, for the cladding material in the metal-metal waveguides.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Copper / chemistry*
Equipment Design
Equipment Failure Analysis
Infrared Rays
Lasers*
Metals / chemistry
Microwaves*
Optics and Photonics / instrumentation*
Quantum Theory

Substances

Metals
Copper