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- ItemEffective group dispersion of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers(Bristol : IOP Publ., 2020) Röben, Benjamin; Lü, Xiang; Biermann, Klaus; Schrottke, Lutz; Grahn, Holger T.Terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) are based on complex semiconductor heterostructures, in which the optical gain is generated by intersubband transitions. Using the spacing of the laser modes in the emission spectra, we have determined the effective group refractive index for more than one hundred THz QCLs of the hybrid design with Fabry-Pérot resonators based on single-plasmon waveguides. The experimentally obtained values of for emission frequencies between 2.5 and 5.6 THz generally follow the trend of derived from electromagnetic simulations. However, for a certain number of QCLs, the experimental values of exhibit a rather large deviation from the general trend and the simulation results. From a thorough analysis, we conclude that differences in the optical gain/loss spectra are responsible for this deviation, which lead to a modification of the dispersion in the active region and consequently to altered values of. The analysis also provides evidence that these differences in the gain/loss spectra originate from both, the details of the design and the gain broadening due to interface roughness. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
- ItemHigh-Performance GaAs/AlAs Terahertz Quantum-Cascade Lasers for Spectroscopic Applications(New York, NY : IEEE, 2020) Schrottke, Lutz; Lü, Xiang; Röben, Benjamin; Biermann, Klaus; Hagelschuer, Till; Wienold, Martin; Hübers, Heinz-Wilhelm; Hannemann, Mario; van Helden, Jean-Pierre H.; Röpcke, Jürgen; Grahn, Holger T.We have developed terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) based on GaAs/AlAs heterostructures for application-defined emission frequencies between 3.4 and 5.0 THz. Due to their narrow line width and rather large intrinsic tuning range, these THz QCLs can be used as local oscillators in airborne or satellite-based astronomical instruments or as radiation sources for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy, which is expected to allow for a quantitative determination of the density of atoms and ions in plasma processes. The GaAs/AlAs THz QCLs can be operated in mechanical cryocoolers and even in miniature cryocoolers due to the comparatively high wall-plug efficiency of around 0.2% and typical current densities below 500 A/cm$^2$. These lasers emit output powers of more than 1 mW at operating temperatures up to about 70 K, which is sufficient for most of the abovementioned applications. © 2011-2012 IEEE.