Quantum Cascade Lasers

GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs; GaxIn1-xAsyP1-y/AlxIn1-xAs on InP;
InAs1-xSb/AlGa1-xSb on GaSb
Electron states in heterostructures

2
Quantum wells
Bulk semiconductors
1.541.539
1.078
E, eV
E (eV)
1.1
AlInAs
0.617
GaInAs 80 A
AlInAs
Ga0.47In0.53As
0.160.156
-0.305
-0.3
0
0
2
40
80
120
100
160
200
200
z ()
z, A
E (eV)
0.2
-0.7
1.595
1.6
-1.6
E, eV
E (eV)
1.21.19
En ( k ) ~
k n2 k||2 ; n 1,2,...
2meff (k )
0.785
0.40.38
-2.5
0
12
k z (10 6cm -1)
16
8-band kp method
-0.0250
-0.025
(4 bands x 2 spins)
2
-1-1)
(10 6cm
K||k, || cm
10
107
20
Optical transitions in quantum wells
1.541.539
AlInAs
GaInAs 80 A
absorption
Absorption (1/cm)
E, eV
0.617
AlInAs
0.160.156
-0.305
-0.3
0
2 0
40
80
z ()
100
120
160
z, A
6000
3000
0
0.7
0.86
1.02
1.18
E (eV)
frequency
intersubband
1.21.19
E (eV)
E, eV
9000
200
200
1.595
1.6
0.785
0.40.38
-0.025
-0.025
interband
12000
1.078
E (eV)
15000
K||, cm
-1)
k || (10 6cm -1
10
107
1.34
1.5
Intersubband transitions: dipole moment
3
2
1
Dipole matrix element:
z mn
f ( z ) f n ( z ) dz
z
*
m
1
1
f1 ~
cos k z z , f 2 ~
sin k z z; z12 ~ Lz
Lz
Lz
Typical values ~ 10-100 A
Compare with atomic transitions ~ 0.2-0.5 A
Intersubband transitions: selection rules
3
2
1
- Only TM-polarization (E QW plane)

- Dipole matrix element:
z mn
f ( z ) f n ( z ) dz
z
*
m
f1 and f3 are even -> z13 = 0
Intersubband transitions in
asymmetric coupled QWs
0 .8
0 .6
Control of the optical response by engineering the

shape (symmetry) of envelope functions and
energies of ISBT
0 .4
0 .2
Short relaxation time ~ 1 ps: possibility of an

ultrafast modulation
0
-5 0 0
-4 0 0
-3 0 0
-2 0 0
-1 0 0
High optical nonlinearities:

Saturation easily reached:
e.g. (2) ~ 106 pm/V
measured since 1980s
Rabi ezE /
Large coherence 21 ~ 1 / 2 can be excited

Rich nonlinear dynamics
Add advantages of a semiconductor medium: electron transport and
Stark effect under applied voltage, integration with other components
High voltage to align levels, high current => high heat dissipation
Rui Yangs talk
J. Faist, F. Capasso, et al. Science 264, 553 (1994)
QC lasers
injector (n-doped)
active
region
3
injector (n-doped)
520 meV
2
active
region
From sawtooth to staircase potential
60 nm
Control of lifetimes: phonons, tunneling; need t32 > t2

E21 = Ephonon
k w, j lw, j kb , j lb , j
Cascading: high power when t_stim approaches T1
From sawtooth to staircase potential

1100
1000
V=0
900
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
200
400
600
1100
800
1000
Z ()
900
800
V = Vth
Energy (meV)
Energy (meV)
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0
200
400
Z ()
600
800
Fabrication: MBE or MOCVD
ACTIVE
REGION
I
INJECTOR
TEM / SEM image
ACTIVE
REGION
3
MINIGAP
2
MINIBAND
3
g
0.9 nm thick
well and barrier
55 nm
55 .1 nm
2
1
725 meV
Rui Yangs talk
Rui Yangs talk
Mid-Far Infrared lasers
IV-VI lead-salt diode lasers: 3-30 m, low-T

Type II lasers
Interband cascade lasers
Intersubband (quantum) cascade lasers
What makes the QC-laser

special?
Wavelength agility
layer thicknesses determine emission wavelength
Demonstrated applications in mid/far-IR gas sensing
High optical power ~ 1W, room-T operation

cascading re-uses electrons
Ultra-fast carrier dynamics

no relaxation oscillations
Pure TM-polarization efficient in-plane light coupling

Micro-lasers
Small linewidth enhancement factor

Intrinsic design potential
HITRAN Simulation of Absorption Spectra (3.1-5.5 & 7.6-12.5 m)

CO2: 4.3 m
COS: 4.86 m
CH2O: 3.6 m
CO: 4.66 m
CH4: 3.3 m
NO: 5.26 m
NH3: 10.6 m
O3: 10 m
N20, CH4: 7.66 m
Frank Tittel et al.
Wide Range of Gas Sensing Applications

Urban and Industrial Emission Measurements
Industrial Plants
Combustion Sources and Processes (eg. early fire detection)
Automobile and Aircraft Emissions
Rural Emission Measurements
Agriculture and Animal Facilities
Environmental Gas Monitoring
Atmospheric Chemistry of Cy gases (eg global and ecosystems)
Volcano Gas Emission Studies and Eruption Forecasting
Chemical Analysis and Industrial Process Control
Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Food & Semiconductor Industry
Toxic Industrial Chemical Detection
Spacecraft and Planetary Surface Monitoring
Crew Health Maintenance & Advanced Human Life Support
Technology
Biomedical and Clinical Diagnostics (eg. non-invasive breath
analysis)
Forensic Science and Security
Fundamental Science and Photochemistry
Life Sciences
Frank Tittel et al.
Air Pollution: Houston, TX
Non-invasive Medical Diagnostics:

Breath analysis
NO: marker of lung diseases
Concentration in exhaled breath for a
healthy adult: 7-15 ppb
For an asthma patient: 20-100 ppb
NH3: marker of kidney and liver diseases

Need fast and compact sensors
Appl. Opt. 41, 6018 (2002)
NASA Atmospheric & Mars Gas Sensor Platforms

Frank Tittel et al.
Aircraft laser absorption spectrometers
Tunable laser planetary spectrometer
Tunable laser sensors for

earths stratosphere
Generation in the THz range

~ 100-1000 m, f ~ 0.3-3 THz
Why THz range is important
THz spectroscopy and imaging

T-rays allow you to see through any dry optically opaque cover:
envelope, clothing, suitcase etc, and locate non-metallic things,
even read letters.
T-rays have enough specificity to distinguish big molecules; they
can be used to detect explosives, drugs, etc.
Three different drugs: MDMA (left), aspirin (center), and

methamphetamine (right), have different images in T-rays
K. Kawase, OPN, October 2004
Q. Hu, QCL Workshop
Q. Hu, QCL Workshop
Terahertz QCLs
Highest operating temperature ~ 175 K in

pulsed regime
Narrow tunability
Q. Hu (MIT), F. Capasso (Harvard), J. Faist (ETH), A. Tredicucci (Pisa)
Terahertz QCLs: 3 QW design

GaAs/AlGaAs
1
2
Belkin et al.
Free carriers help to reduce losses!
Metal-metal waveguide
150m
75
10 0
(a)
0.014
Heavily doped
GaAs
Y A xis T itle
0.012
0.010
0.008
0.006
0.004
0.002
0.000
-0.002
-50
50
100
150
200
250
X Axis Title
GaAs substrate
Active region
150m
75
Gold
10 0
(b)
GaAs substrate
Active region
Gold
Fig. 2. Schematic representation of (a) the semi-insulating surface-plasmon

waveguide (b) the metal-metal plasmon waveguide, used in THz QCLs. The
Heterogeneous Cascades
(multi-
generation)
So far:
Homogeneous cascade:
single stack of
~ 30 identical active regions & injectors
Now:
Stacked cascades:
Different electric field

across sub-stacks
Interdigitated
cascades:
Cooperative
cascades:
Charge transport
between stages
How to design
cooperation
Heterogeneous Cascades (multi-

generation)
9.5 m
active region
8.0 m
active region
9.5 m
active region
Energy
8.0
8.2
Wavelength ( m)
9.45
9.50
9.55
Wavelength ( m)
Distance
Current flows in series
Shorter wavelengths
generation
Peak wavelength (m)
Longer wavelengths
generation
Active waveguide core
7
225
6
2
1
0
2
1
10
20
Active region index 'i'
200
175
5
30
150
Peak energy (meV)
Design of the ultrabroadband

quantum cascade laser
250
Power (arb. units, log. scale)
Ultrabroadband (6 - 8 m) spectrum
10
2, 3, 4 A
5 ... 13 A
0.1
7
Wavelength (m)
energy
Monolithic integration of quantum-cascade lasers

with resonant optical nonlinearities
5 I
4
3
g
1
active
region
Maximizing the product of dipoles d23d34d24

Quantum interference between cascades I and II
(2) ~ 105 pm/V
2
1
II.
I.
Frequency down-conversion to the THz range
~ 100-1000 m, f ~ 0.3-3 THz

Current THz semiconductor lasers require cryogenic temperatures
They are not tunable
Three ways to achieve using nonlinear optics:
Difference frequency generation

Stokes Raman and cascade lasing
Parametric down-conversion
Difference frequency
generation in twowavelength QCLs
M. Belkin, F. Capasso, A. Belyanin et al.

Nature photonics 1, 288 (2007).
M. Belkin, F. Xie et al., APL 96, 201101 (2008)
Difference frequency generation in

two-wavelength QCLs
q
cladding
Laser1 section
Side contact layer
Laser 2 section
1
substrate
M. Belkin, F. Capasso, A. Belyanin et al.

Nature photonics 1, 288 (2007).
M. Belkin, F. Xie et al., 2008
P( p q ( 2) E p Eq*
Results obtained by Feng Xie in
Harvard in summer 2007

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GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs; GaxIn1-xAsyP1-y/AlxIn1-xAs on InP;

Electron states in heterostructures

k z (10 6cm -1)

Optical transitions in quantum wells

Intersubband transitions: dipole moment

Dipole matrix element:

Intersubband transitions: selection rules

- Only TM-polarization (E QW plane)

f1 and f3 are even -> z13 = 0

Control of the optical response by engineering the

Short relaxation time ~ 1 ps: possibility of an

High optical nonlinearities:

e.g. (2) ~ 106 pm/V

measured since 1980s

Large coherence 21 ~ 1 / 2 can be excited

J. Faist, F. Capasso, et al. Science 264, 553 (1994)

Control of lifetimes: phonons, tunneling; need t32 > t2

Cascading: high power when t_stim approaches T1

From sawtooth to staircase potential

Fabrication: MBE or MOCVD

TEM / SEM image

Rui Yangs talk

Rui Yangs talk

Mid-Far Infrared lasers

IV-VI lead-salt diode lasers: 3-30 m, low-T

What makes the QC-laser

Demonstrated applications in mid/far-IR gas sensing

High optical power ~ 1W, room-T operation

Ultra-fast carrier dynamics

Pure TM-polarization efficient in-plane light coupling

Small linewidth enhancement factor

HITRAN Simulation of Absorption Spectra (3.1-5.5 & 7.6-12.5 m)

Frank Tittel et al.

Wide Range of Gas Sensing Applications

Air Pollution: Houston, TX

Non-invasive Medical Diagnostics:

NH3: marker of kidney and liver diseases

Appl. Opt. 41, 6018 (2002)

NASA Atmospheric & Mars Gas Sensor Platforms

Aircraft laser absorption spectrometers

Tunable laser planetary spectrometer

Tunable laser sensors for

Generation in the THz range

Why THz range is important

THz spectroscopy and imaging

Three different drugs: MDMA (left), aspirin (center), and

Q. Hu, QCL Workshop

Highest operating temperature ~ 175 K in

Terahertz QCLs: 3 QW design

Free carriers help to reduce losses!

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of (a) the semi-insulating surface-plasmon

Different electric field

Heterogeneous Cascades (multi-

Current flows in series

Peak wavelength (m)

Active waveguide core

Active region index 'i'

Peak energy (meV)

Design of the ultrabroadband

Power (arb. units, log. scale)