Center for Quantum Devices - Journal Articles and Conference Proceedings

Page 1 (15 Items)

1.	High-power, continuous-wave, phase-locked quantum cascade laser arrays emitting at 8 μm WENJIA ZHOU,QUAN-YONG LU,DONG-HAI WU, STEVEN SLIVKEN, AND MANIJEH RAZEGHI OPTICS EXPRESS 27, 15776-15785-- May 20, 2019 We report a room-temperature eight-element phase-locked quantum cascade laser array emitting at 8 μm with a high continuous-wave power of 8.2 W and wall plug efficiency of 9.5%. The laser array operates primarily via the in-phase supermode and has single-mode emission with a side-mode suppression ratio of ~20 dB. The quantum cascade laser active region is based on a high differential gain (8.7 cm/kA) and low voltage defect (90 meV) design. A record high wall plug efficiency of 20.4% is achieved from a low loss buried ridge type single-element Fabry-Perot laser operating in pulsed mode at 20 °C. reprint
2.	Single-mode, high-power, midinfrared, quantum cascade laser phased arrays Wenjia Zhou , Donghai Wu , Quan-Yong Lu, Steven Slivken & Manijeh Razeghi Scientific Reports 8:14866-- October 5, 2018 We demonstrate single-mode, 16-channel, optical phased arrays based on quantum cascade laser technology, with emission wavelengths around 4.8 μm. The integrated device consists of a distributed feedback seed section, a highly-efficient tree array multi-mode interferometer power splitter, and a 16-channel amplifier array with a 4° angled facet termination. With a single layer Y₂O₃ coating, the angled facet reflectivity is estimated to be less than 0.1% for suppressing amplifier self-lasing. A peak output power of 30 W is achieved with an emission spectrum narrower than 11 nm and a side mode suppression ratio over 25 dB. Far field distribution measurement result indicates a uniform phase distribution across the array output. Using the same phased array architecture, we also demonstrate single-mode 3.8 μm QCL amplifier arrays with up to 20 W output power. reprint
3.	Multiple-band, Single-mode, High-power, Phase-locked, Mid-infrared Quantum Cascade Laser Arrays Manijeh Razeghi, Wenjia Zhou, Quanyong Lu, Donghai Wu, and Steven Slivken Imaging and Applied Optics 2018, JTh1A.2-- September 15, 2018 Single-mode, 16-channel, phase-locked laser arrays based on quantum cascade laser technology are demonstrated at multiple spectral bands across the mid-infrared spectrum region. High peak output power of 50W is achieved around the long-wavelength band of 7.7µm, while a side mode suppression ratio over 25dB is obtained. Far field distribution measurement result indicates a uniform phase distribution across the array output. reprint
4.	Phase-locked, high power, mid-infrared quantum cascade laser array W. Zhou, S. Slivken, and M. Razeghi Applied Physics Letters 112, 181106-- May 4, 2018 We demonstrate phase-locked, high power quantum cascade laser arrays, which are combined using a monolithic, tree array multimode interferometer, with emission wavelengths around 4.8 μm. A maximum output power of 15 W was achieved from an eight-element laser array, which has only a slightly higher threshold current density and a similar slope efficiency compared to a Fabry-Perot laser of the same length. Calculated multimode interferometer splitting loss is on the order of 0.27 dB for the in-phase supermode. In-phase supermode operation with nearly ideal behavior is demonstrated over the working current range of the array. reprint
5.	Broadband monolithically-tunable quantum cascade lasers Wenjia Zhou, Ryan McClintock, Donghai Wu, Steven Slivken, Manijeh Razeghi Proc. SPIE 10540, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XV, 105400A-- January 26, 2018 Mid-infrared lasers, emitting in the spectral region of 3-12 μm that contain strong characteristic vibrational transitions of many important molecules, are highly desirable for spectroscopy sensing applications. High efficiency quantum cascade lasers have been demonstrated with up to watt-level output power in the mid-infrared region. However, the wide wavelength tuning, which is critical for spectroscopy applications, is still largely relying on incorporating external gratings, which have stability issues. Here, we demonstrate the development a monolithic, widely tunable quantum cascade laser source emitting between 6.1 and 9.2 μm through an on-chip integration of a sampled grating distributed feedback tunable laser array with a beam combiner. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and coordinate the driving of the laser array to produce desired wavelength. A broadband spectral measurement (520cm^-1) of methane shows excellent agreement with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer measurement. Further optimizations have led to high performance monolithic tunable QCLs with up to 65 mW output while delivering fundamental mode outputs. reprint
6.	Progress in monolithic, broadband, widely tunable midinfrared quantum cascade lasers Manijeh Razeghi Wenjia Zhou Ryan McClintock Donghai Wu Steven Slivken Optical Engineering 57(1), 011018-- December 1, 2017 We present recent progress on the development of monolithic, broadband, widely tunable midinfrared quantum cascade lasers. First, we show a broadband midinfrared laser gain realized by a heterogeneous quantum cascade laser based on a strain balanced composite well design of Al_0.63In_0.37As∕Ga_0.35In_0.65As∕ Ga_0.47In_0.53As. Single mode emission between 5.9 and 10.9 μm under pulsed mode operation was realized from a distributed feedback laser array, which exhibited a flat current threshold across the spectral range. Using the broadband wafer, a monolithic tuning between 6.2 and 9.1 μm was demonstrated from a beam combined sampled grating distributed feedback laser array. The tunable laser was utilized for a fast sensing of methane under pulsed operation. Transmission spectra were obtained without any moving parts, which showed excellent agreement to a standard measurement made by a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. reprint
7.	High performance monolithic, broadly tunable mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers WENJIA Zhou, DONGHAI Wu, RYAN McCLINTOCK, STEVEN SLIVKEN, AND MANIJEH RAZEGH1 Optica 4(10), p. 1228-- October 10, 2017 Mid-infrared lasers, emitting in the spectral region of 3-12 µm that contains strong characteristic vibrational transitions of many important molecules, are highly desirable for spectroscopy sensing applications. High-efficiency quantum cascade lasers have been demonstrated with up to watt-level output power in the mid-infrared region. However, the wide wavelength tuning that is critical for spectroscopy applications still largely relies on incorporating external gratings, which have stability issues. Here, we demonstrate a monolithic, broadly tunable quantum cascade laser source emitting between 6.1 and 9.2 µm through an on-chip integration of a sampled grating distributed feedback tunable laser array and a beam combiner. High peak power up to 65 mW has been obtained through a balanced high-gain active region design, efficient waveguide layout, and the development of a broadband antireflection coating. Nearly fundamental transversemode operation is achieved for all emission wavelengths with a pointing stability better than 1.6 mrad (0.1 °). The demonstrated laser source opens new opportunities for mid-infrared spectroscopy. reprint
8.	Recent progress of quantum cascade laser research from 3 to 12 μm at the Center for Quantum Devices MANIJEH RAZEGHI,* WENJIA ZHOU,STEVEN SLIVKEN,QUAN-YONG LU,DONGHAI WU, AND RYAN MCCLINTOC Applied Optics Vol. 56, No. 31 -- October 10, 2017 The quantum cascade laser (QCL) is becoming the leading laser source in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range, which contains two atmospheric transmission windows and many molecular fingerprint absorption features. Since its first demonstration in 1994, the QCL has undergone tremendous development in terms of the output power, wall plug efficiency, wavelength coverage, tunability and beam quality. At the Center for Quantum Devices, we have demonstrated high-power continuous wave operation of QCLs covering a wide wavelength range from 3 to 12 μm, with power output up to 5.1 W at room temperature. Recent research has resulted in power scaling in pulsed mode with up to 203 W output, electrically tunable QCLs based on monolithic sampled grating design, heterogeneous QCLs with a broad spectral gain, broadly tunable on-chip beam-combined QCLs, QCL-based mid-IR frequency combs, and fundamental mode surface emitting quantum cascade ring lasers. The developed QCLs will be the basis for a number of next-generation spectroscopy and sensing systems. reprint
9.	Broadband, Tunable, and Monolithic Quantum Cascade Lasers M. Razeghi, Q. Y. Lu, N. Bandyopadhyay, W. Zhou, D. Heydari, Y. Bai, and S. Slivken. Semiconductor lasers; (140.3600) Lasers, tunable-- May 19, 2017 This article describes the state of research and recent developments related to broadband quantum cascade lasers. Monolithic tuning and system development is also discussed. reprint
10.	Quntum Cascade Laser Breakthrough for Advanced Remote Detection Manijeh Razeghi, Wenjia Zhou, Donghai Wu, Ryan McClintock, and Steven Slivken Photonics Spectra, November issue-- November 1, 2016 The atoms in a molecule can bend, stretch and rotate with respect to one another, and these excitations are largely optically active. Most molecules, from simple to moderately complex, have a characteristic absorption spectrum in the 3- to 14-µrn wavelength range that can be uniquely identified and quantified in real time. Infrared spectroscopy has been used to study these absorption features and develop different molecular "fingerprints."
11.	Monolithically, widely tunable quantum cascade lasers based on a heterogeneous active region design Wenjia Zhou, Neelanjan Bandyopadhyay, Donghai Wu, Ryan McClintock & Manijeh Razeghi Nature Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 25213 -- June 8, 2016 Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become important laser sources for accessing the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, achieving watt-level continuous wave operation in a compact package at room temperature. However, up to now, wavelength tuning, which is desirable for most applications, has relied on external cavity feedback or exhibited a limited monolithic tuning range. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable QCL source over the 6.2 to 9.1 μm wavelength range with a single emitting aperture by integrating an eight-laser sampled grating distributed feedback laser array with an on-chip beam combiner. The laser gain medium is based on a five-core heterogeneous QCL wafer. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and produce any desired wavelength within the available spectral range. A rapid, broadband spectral measurement (520 cm⁻¹) of methane using the tunable laser source shows excellent agreement to a measurement made using a standard low-speed infrared spectrometer. This monolithic, widely tunable laser technology is compact, with no moving parts, and will open new opportunities for MIR spectroscopy and chemical sensing. reprint
12.	Quantum cascade lasers: from tool to product M. Razeghi, Q. Y. Lu, N. Bandyopadhyay, W. Zhou, D. Heydari, Y. Bai, and S. Slivken Optics Express Vol. 23, Issue 7, pp. 8462-8475-- March 25, 2015 The quantum cascade laser (QCL) is an important laser source in the mid-infrared and terahertz frequency range. The past twenty years have witnessed its tremendous development in power, wall plug efficiency, frequency coverage and tunability, beam quality, as well as various applications based on QCL technology. Nowadays, QCLs can deliver high continuous wave power output up to 5.1 W at room temperature, and cover a wide frequency range from 3 to 300 μm by simply varying the material components. Broadband heterogeneous QCLs with a broad spectral range from 3 to 12 μm, wavelength agile QCLs based on monolithic sampled grating design, and on-chip beam QCL combiner are being developed for the next generation tunable mid-infrared source for spectroscopy and sensing. Terahertz sources based on nonlinear generation in QCLs further extend the accessible wavelength into the terahertz range. Room temperature continuous wave operation, high terahertz power up to 1.9 mW, and wide frequency tunability form 1 to 5 THz makes this type of device suitable for many applications in terahertz spectroscopy, imaging, and communication. reprint
13.	High power frequency comb based on mid-infrared quantum cascade laser at λ ~9μm Q. Y. Lu, M. Razeghi, S. Slivken, N. Bandyopadhyay, Y. Bai, W. J. Zhou, M. Chen, D. Heydari, A. Haddadi, R. McClintock, M. Amanti, and C. Sirtori Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 051105-- February 2, 2015 We investigate a frequency comb source based on a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser at λ ∼9 μm with high power output. A broad flat-top gain with near-zero group velocity dispersion has been engineered using a dual-core active region structure. This favors the locking of the dispersed Fabry-Pérot modes into equally spaced frequency lines via four wave mixing. A current range with a narrow intermode beating linewidth of 3 kHz is identified with a fast detector and spectrum analyzer. This range corresponds to a broad spectral coverage of 65 cm⁻¹ and a high power output of 180 mW for ∼176 comb modes. reprint
14.	Thermal conductivity tensors of the cladding and active layers of antimonide infrared lasers and detectors Chuanle Zhou, I. Vurgaftman, C. L. Canedy, C. S. Kim, M. Kim, W. W. Bewley, C. D. Merritt, J. Abell, J. R. Meyer, A. Hoang, A. Haddadi, M. Razeghi, and M. Grayson Optical Materials Express. 2013;3(10):1632-1640.-- October 1, 2013 The in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities of the cladding layers and active quantum wells of interband cascade lasers and type-II superlattice infrared detector are measured by the 2-wire 3ω method. The layers investigated include InAs/AlSb superlattice cladding layers, InAs/GaInSb/InAs/AlSb W-active quantum wells, an InAs/GaSb superlattice absorber, an InAs/GaSb/AlSb M-structure, and an AlAsSb digital alloy. The in-plane thermal conductivity of the InAs/AlSb superlattice is 4-5 times higher than the cross-plane value. The isotropic thermal conductivity of the AlAsSb digital alloy matches a theoretical expectation, but it is one order of magnitude lower than the only previously-reported experimental value. reprint
15.	Thermal Conductivity of InAs/GaSb Type II Superlattice C. Zhou, B.M. Nguyen, M. Razeghi and M. Grayson Journal of Electronic Materials, Vol. 41, No. 9, p. 2322-2325-- August 1, 2012 The cross-plane thermal conductivity of a type II InAs/GaSb superlattice(T2SL) is measured from 13 K to 300 K using the 3x method. Thermal conductivity is reduced by up to two orders of magnitude relative to the GaSb bulk substrate. The low thermal conductivity of around 1 W/m K to 8 W/m K may serve as an advantage for thermoelectric applications at low temperatures, while presenting a challenge for T2SL interband cascade lasers and highpower photodiodes. We describe a power-law approximation to model nonlinearities in the thermal conductivity, resulting in increased or decreased peak temperature for negative or positive exponents, respectively. reprint

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