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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 15, Iss. 25 — Dec. 10, 2007
  • pp: 16818–16827

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 15 > Issue 25 > Page 16818

Terahertz photonic crystal quantum cascade lasers

Hua Zhang, L. Andrea Dunbar, Giacomo Scalari, Romuald Houdré, and Jérôme Faist  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 15, Issue 25, pp. 16818-16827 (2007)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.15.016818


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Abstract

We combine photonic crystal and quantum cascade band engineering to create an in-plane laser at terahertz frequency. We demonstrate that such photonic crystal lasers strongly improve the performances of terahertz quantum cascade material in terms of threshold current, waveguide losses, emission mode selection, tunability and maximum operation temperature. The laser operates in a slow-light regime between the M saddle point and K band-edge in reciprocal lattice. Coarse frequency control of half of a terahertz is achieved by lithographically tuning the photonic crystal period. Thanks to field assisted gain shift and cavity pulling, the single mode emission is continuously tuned over 30 GHz.

© 2007 Optical Society of America

OCIS Codes
(130.0250) Integrated optics : Optoelectronics
(130.3120) Integrated optics : Integrated optics devices
(140.3490) Lasers and laser optics : Lasers, distributed-feedback
(140.5960) Lasers and laser optics : Semiconductor lasers
(230.5590) Optical devices : Quantum-well, -wire and -dot devices
(130.5296) Integrated optics : Photonic crystal waveguides

ToC Category:
Integrated Optics

History
Original Manuscript: October 29, 2007
Revised Manuscript: November 29, 2007
Manuscript Accepted: November 29, 2007
Published: December 4, 2007

Citation
Hua Zhang, L. Andrea Dunbar, Giacomo Scalari, Romuald Houdré, and Jérôme Faist, "Terahertz photonic crystal quantum cascade lasers," Opt. Express 15, 16818-16827 (2007)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-15-25-16818


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