An official website of the United States government
A monochromatic wave that circulates in a nonlinear and dispersive optical cavity can become unstable and form a structured waveform. This phenomenon, known as modulation instability, was encountered in fiber lasers, optically pumped Kerr microresonators and, most recently, in monolithic ring quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). In ring QCLs, the instability led to generation of fundamental frequency combs—optical fields that repeat themselves once per cavity round trip. Here we show that the same instability may also result in self-starting harmonic frequency combs—waveforms that repeat themselves multiple times per round trip, akin to perfect soliton crystals in ring Kerr microresonators. We can tailor the intermode spacing of harmonic frequency combs by placing two minute defects with a well-defined separation between them along the ring waveguide. On-demand excitation of frequency comb states with few powerful modes spaced by hundreds of gigahertz may find their use in future sub-terahertz generators.
more »
« less
Self-starting harmonic comb emission in THz quantum cascade lasers
Harmonic comb states have proven to be ubiquitous in mid-IR quantum cascade lasers. We report here on robust, pure, self-starting harmonic mode locking in Copper-based double-metal THz quantum cascade lasers. Different harmonic orders can be excited in the same laser cavity depending on the pumping condition, and stable harmonic combs spanning more than 600 GHz at 80 K are reported. Such devices can be RF injected, and the free running coherence is assessed by means of a self-mixing technique performed at 50 GHz. A theoretical model based on Maxwell-Bloch equations including an asymmetry in the gain profile is used to interpret the data.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1807336
- PAR ID:
- 10594600
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Institute of Physics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Volume:
- 118
- Issue:
- 13
- ISSN:
- 0003-6951
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
We demonstrate room temperature single-mode THz emission at 4 THz based on intracavity difference-frequency generation from mid-infrared dual-wavelength quantum cascade lasers. An integrated dual-period distributed feedback grating is defined on the cap layer to purify both mid-infrared pumping wavelengths and in turn the THz spectra. Single mode operation of the pumping wavelengths results in a single-mode THz operation with a narrow linewidth of 6.6 GHz. A maximum THz power of 8.5 μW with a power conversion efficiency of 10 μW/W2 is obtained at room temperature.more » « less
-
Optical frequency combs with equidistant frequency modes have revolutionized metrology and spectroscopy. The most widespread combs consist of periodic pulse trains generated by mode-locked lasers. However, it has recently been demonstrated that most semiconductor lasers based on Fabry–Pérot cavities, such as quantum well laser diodes, quantum cascade lasers, and quantum dot lasers, can enter an unconventional regime without traditional mode-locking mechanisms. The time-domain profile of these self-locked combs features a frequency-modulated (FM) wave with quasi-continuous-wave intensity and near-linear frequency chirp. The observation of the FM mode of operation in lasers with significantly different dynamics suggested that this mode is a fundamental operating state of semiconductor lasers, stemming from a deeper underlying mechanism. Thanks to recent theoretical and experimental advances, the origin of FM behavior has become clear. In this Perspective, we discuss the current status of FM combs in semiconductor lasers based on Fabry–Pérot cavities, focusing on their physical origin, modeling, characterization, bandwidth enhancement, and potential in future applications.more » « less
-
InAs-based interband cascade lasers (ICLs) can be more easily adapted toward long wavelength operation than their GaSb counterparts. Devices made from two recent ICL wafers with an advanced waveguide structure are reported, which demonstrate improved device performance in terms of reduced threshold current densities for ICLs near 11 μm or extended operating wavelength beyond 13 μm. The ICLs near 11 μm yielded a significantly reduced continuous wave (cw) lasing threshold of 23 A/cm2at 80 K with substantially increased cw output power, compared with previously reported ICLs at similar wavelengths. ICLs made from the second wafer incorporated an innovative quantum well active region, comprised of InAsP layers, and lased in the pulsed-mode up to 120 K at 13.2 μm, which is the longest wavelength achieved for III–V interband lasers.more » « less
-
Razeghi, Manijeh; Khodaparast, Giti A; Vitiello, Miriam S (Ed.)In this talk, challenges and solutions associated with the monolithic, epitaxial integration of mid- and longwave- infrared, InP-based quantum cascade lasers on GaAs and Si wafers will be discussed. Initial results, including room temperature, high power, and continuous wave operation, will be described.more » « less
