Center for Quantum Devices - Journal Articles and Conference Proceedings

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1.	Development of high power, InP-based quantum cascade lasers on alternative epitaxial platforms Steven Slivken, Nirajman Shrestha, Manijeh Razeghi Proc. of SPIE Vol. 12895, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XX, 1289503 (28 January - 1 February 2024, San Francisco) doi: 10.1117/12.3009335 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. reprint
2.	Room Temperature, Continuous Wave Quantum Cascade Laser Grown Directly on a Si Wafer Steven Slivken and Manijeh Razeghi S. Slivken and M. Razeghi,, Journal of Quantum Electronics, Vol. 59, No. 4, doi: 10.1109/JQE.2023.3282710 We report the room temperature demonstration of a high power, continuous wave, LWIR quantum cascade laser grown directly on a Si substrate. A new wafer, based on a high efficiency, strain-balanced laser core was processed into a lateral injection buried heterostructure laser geometry. A pulsed efficiency of 11.1% was demonstrated at room temperature, with an emission wavelength of 8.35 μm. With low fidelity, epilayer-up packaging, CW emission up to 343 K was also demonstrated, with a maximum output power of >0.7 W near room temperature. reprint
3.	High Power, Room Temperature InP-Based Quantum Cascade Laser Grown on Si Steven Slivken and Manijeh Razeghi Journal of Quantum Electronics, Vol. 58, No. 6, 2300206 We report on the realization of an InP-based long wavelength quantum cascade laser grown on top of a silicon substrate. This demonstration first required the development of an epitaxial template with a smooth surface, which combines two methods of dislocation filtering. Once wafer growth was complete, a lateral injection buried heterostructure laser geometry was employed for efficient current injection and low loss. The laser emits at a wavelength of 10.8 μm and is capable of operation above 373 K, with a high peak power (>4 W) at room temperature. Laser threshold behavior with temperature is characterized by a T0 of 178 K. The far field beam shape is single lobed, showing fundamental transverse mode operation. reprint
4.	High Performance Planar Antimony-Based Superlattice Photodetectors Using Zinc Diffusion Grown by MBE Jiakai Li, R. K. Saroj, Steven Slivken, V. H. Nguyen, Gail Brown and Manijeh Razeghi Photonics 2022, 9, 664 In this letter, we report a mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) planar photodetector based on InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattices (T2SLs) that has a cut-off wavelength of 4.3 um at 77 K. The superlattice for the device was grown by molecular beam epitaxy while the planar device structure was achieved by Zinc diffusion process in a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. At 77 K, the peak responsivity and the corresponding quantum efficiency had the value of 1.42 A/W and 48% respectively at 3.7 um under -20 mV for the MWIR planar photodetector. At 77 K, the MWIR planar photodetector exhibits a dark current density of 2.0E5 A/cm^2 and the R0A value of ~3.0E2 Ohm cm^2 under -20 mV, which yielded a specific detectivity of 4.0E11 cm Hz^(1/2)/W at 3.7 um. At 150 K, the planar device showed a dark current density of 6.4E-5 A/cm^2 and a quantum efficiency of 49% at ~3.7 um under -20 mV, which yielded a specific detectivity of 2.0E11 cm Hz^(1/2)/W. reprint
5.	High Power Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers Grown on Si Steven Slivken, Nirajman Shrestha, and Manijeh Razeghi Photonics, vol. 9, 626 This article details the demonstration of a strain-balanced, InP-based mid-infrared quantum cascade laser structure that is grown directly on a Si substrate. This is facilitated by the creation of a metamorphic buffer layer that is used to convert from the lattice constant of Si (0.543 nm) to that of InP (0.587 nm). The laser geometry utilizes two top contacts in order to be compatible with future large-scale integration. Unlike previous reports, this device is capable of room temperature operation with up to 1.6 W of peak power. The emission wavelength at 293 K is 4.82 um, and the device operates in the fundamental transverse mode. reprint
6.	Demonstration of Zn-Diffused Planar Long-Wavelength Infrared Photodetector Based on Type-II Superlattice Grown by MBE Rajendra K. Saroj, Van Hoang Nguyen, Steven Slivken, Gail J. Brown and Manijeh Razeghi IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics We report on a planar long-wavelength infrared photodetector based on InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattice with zinc diffusion. The superlattice structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy, followed by a post-growth Zinc diffusion process in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. The planar photodetectors showed a peak responsivity of 2.18 A/W, under an applied bias of −20 mV, with a corresponding quantum efficiency of 44.5%, without any anti-reflection coating, and had a 100% cut-off wavelength of 8.5 μm at 77 K temperature. These photodetectors exhibit a specific peak detectivity of 3.0×10^12 cm.Hz^1/2/W, with a dark current density of 1.5 × 10−5 A/cm2 and the differential-resistance-area product of ∼8.6 × 10−1 Ω.cm2, under an applied bias of −20 mV at 77 K. A comparative study between the planar and conventional mesa isolated photodetectors was also carried out. reprint
7.	High Power Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Lasers Grown on GaAs Steven Slivken and Manijeh Razeghi Photonics 2022, 9(4), 231 (COVER ARTICLE) The motivation behind this work is to show that InP-based intersubband lasers with high power can be realized on substrates with significant lattice mismatch. This is a primary concern for the integration of mid-infrared active optoelectronic devices on low-cost photonic platforms, such as Si. As evidence, an InP-based mid-infrared quantum cascade laser structure was grown on a GaAs substrate, which has a large (4%) lattice mismatch with respect to InP. Prior to laser core growth, a metamorphic buffer layer of InP was grown directly on a GaAs substrate to adjust the lattice constant. Wafer characterization data are given to establish general material characteristics. A simple fabrication procedure leads to lasers with high peak power (>14 W) at room temperature. These results are extremely promising for direct quantum cascade laser growth on Si substrates. reprint
8.	High-brightness LWIR quantum cascade lasers F. Wang, S. Slivken, and M. Razeghi Optics Letters, vol. 46, No. 20, 5193 Long-wave infrared (LWIR, lambda~8-12 um) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are drawing increasing interest, as they provide the possibility of long-distance transmission of light through the atmosphere owing to the reduced water absorption. However, their development has been lagging behind the shorter wavelength QCLs due to much bigger technological challenges. In this Letter, through band structure engineering based on a highly localized diagonal laser transition strategy and out-coupler design using an electrically isolated taper structure, we demonstrate high beam quality single-mode LWIR QCLs with high-brightness (2.0 MW cm^-2 sr^-1 for lambda~10 um, 2.2 MW cm^-2 sr^-1 for lambda~9 um, 5.0 MW cm^-2 sr^-1 for lambda~8 um) light extraction from a single facet in continuous-wave operation at 15 ^oC. These results mark an important milestone in exploring the lighting capability of inter-sub-band semiconductor lasers in the LWIR spectral range. reprint
9.	Harmonic injection locking of high-power mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers Feihu Wang, Steven Slivken, and Manijeh Razeghi OSA Photonics Research •https://doi.org/10.1364/PRJ.423573 High-power, high-speed quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with stable emission in the mid-infrared regime are of great importance for applications in metrology, telecommunication, and fundamental tests of physics. Owing to the inter-sub-band transition, the unique ultrafast gain recovery time of the QCL with picosecond dynamics is expected to overcome the modulation limit of classical semiconductor lasers and bring a revolution for the next generation of ultrahigh-speed optical communication. Therefore, harmonic injection locking, offering the possibility to fast modulate and greatly stabilize the laser emission beyond the rate limited by cavity length, is inherently adapted to QCLs. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time the harmonic injection locking of a mid-infrared QCL with an output power over 1 watt in continuous-wave operation at 288 K. Compared with an unlocked laser, the inter-mode spacing fluctuation of an injection locked QCL can be considerably reduced by a factor above 1×10 E3, which permits the realization of an ultra-stable mid-infrared semiconductor laser with high phase coherence and frequency purity. Despite temperature change, this fluctuation can be still stabilized to hertz level by a microwave modulation up to ∼18 GHz. These results open up the prospect of the applications of mid-infrared QCL technology for frequency comb engineering, metrology and the next generation ultrahigh-speed telecommunication. It may also stimulate new schemes for exploring ultrafast mid-infrared pulse generation in QCLs. reprint
10.	Room temperature quantum cascade laser with ∼ 31% wall-plug efficiency F. Wang, S. Slivken, D. H. Wu, and M. Razeghi AIP Advances 10, 075012-- July 14, 2020 In this article, we report the demonstration of a quantum cascade laser emitting at λ ≈ 4.9 μm with a wall-plug efficiency of ∼31% and an output power of ∼23 W in pulsed operation at room temperature with 50 cascade stages (Ns). With proper fabrication and packaging, this buried ridge quantum cascade laser with a cavity length of 5 mm delivers more than ∼15 W output power, and its wall-plug efficiency exceeds ∼20% at 100 °C. The experimental results of the lasers are well in agreement with the numerical predictions. reprint
11.	Room temperature quantum cascade lasers with 22% wall plug efficiency in continuous-wave operation F. Wang, S. Slivken, D. H. Wu, and M. Razeghi Optics Express Vol. 28, Issue 12, pp. 17532-17538-- June 8, 2020 We report the demonstration of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with improved eﬃciency emitting at a wavelength of 4.9 µm in pulsed and continuous-wave(CW)operation. Based on an established design and guided by simulation, the number of QCL-emitting stages is increased in order to realize a 29.3% wall plug eﬃciency (WPE) in pulsed operation at room temperature. With proper fabrication and packaging, a 5-mm-long, 8-µm-wide QCL with a buried ridge waveguide is capable of 22% CW WPE and 5.6 W CW output power at room temperature. This corresponds to an extremely high optical density at the output facet of ∼35 MW/cm², without any damage. reprint
12.	Continuous wave quantum cascade lasers with 5.6 W output power at room temperature and 41% wall-plug efficiency in cryogenic operation F. Wang, S. Slivken, D. H. Wu, Q. Y. Lu, and M. Razeghi AIP Advances 10, 055120-- May 19, 2020 In this paper, we report a post-polishing technique to achieve nearly complete surface planarization for the buried ridge regrowth processing of quantum cascade lasers. The planarized device geometry improves the thermal conduction and reliability and, most importantly, enhances the power and efficiency in continuous wave operation. With this technique, we demonstrate a high continuous wave wall-plug efficiency of an InP-based quantum cascade laser reaching ∼41% with an output power of ∼12 W from a single facet operating at liquid nitrogen temperature. At room temperature, the continuous wave output power exceeds the previous record, reaching ∼5.6 W. reprint
13.	High power continuous wave operation of single mode quantum cascade lasers up to 5 W spanning λ∼3.8-8.3 µm Quanyong Lu, Steven Slivken, Donghai Wu, and Manijeh Razeghi Optics Express Vol. 28, Issue 10, pp. 15181-15188-- May 4, 2020 In this work, we report high power continuous wave room-temperature operation single mode quantum cascade lasers in the mid-infrared spectral range from 3.8 to 8.3 µm. Single mode robustness and dynamic range are enhanced by optimizing the distributed feedback grating coupling design and the facet coatings. High power single mode operation is secured by circumventing the over-coupling issue and spatial hole burning effect. Maximum single-facet continuous-wave output power of 5.1 W and wall plug efficiency of 16.6% is achieved at room temperature. Single mode operation with a side mode suppression ratio of 30 dB and single-lobed far field with negligible beam steering is observed. The significantly increased power for single mode emission will boost the QCL applications in long-range free-space communication and remote sensing of hazardous chemicals. reprint
14.	Room temperature continuous wave THz frequency comb based on quantum cascade lasers M. Razeghi; Q. Y. Lu; F. H. Wang; D. H. Wu; S. Slivken Proc. SPIE 11124, Terahertz Emitters, Receivers, and Applications X, 1112407-- September 6, 2019 Frequency combs, spectra of phase-coherent equidistant lines, have revolutionized time and frequency metrology. The recently developed quantum cascade laser (QCL) comb has exhibits great potential with high power and broadband spectrum. However, in the terahertz (THz) range, cryogenic cooling has to be applied for THz QCL combs. We report a room temperature THz frequency comb at 3.0 THz based on difference-frequency generation from a mid-IR QCL comb. A largely detuned distributed-feedback grating is integrated into the QCL cavity to provide the single mode operation as well as enhanced spatial hole-burning effect for multimode comb operation. Multiheterodyne spectroscopy with multiple equally spaced lines by beating it with a reference Fabry-Pérot comb confirms the THz comb operation. This type of THz comb provides a new solution to chip-based high-speed high-resolution THz spectroscopy with compact size at room temperature. reprint
15.	Room temperature terahertz semiconductor frequency comb Quanyong Lu, Feihu Wang, Donghai Wu, Steven Slivken & Manijeh Razeghi Nature Communications 10, 2403-- June 3, 2019 A terahertz (THz) frequency comb capable of high-resolution measurement will significantly advance THz technology application in spectroscopy, metrology and sensing. The recently developed cryogenic-cooled THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) comb has exhibited great potentials with high power and broadband spectrum. Here, we report a room temperature THz harmonic frequency comb in 2.2 to 3.3 THz based on difference-frequency generation from a mid-IR QCL. The THz comb is intracavity generated via down-converting a mid-IR comb with an integrated mid-IR single mode based on distributed-feedback grating without using external optical elements. The grating Bragg wavelength is largely detuned from the gain peak to suppress the grating dispersion and support the comb operation in the high gain spectral range. Multiheterodyne spectroscopy with multiple equally spaced lines by beating it with a reference Fabry-Pérot comb confirms the THz comb operation. This type of THz comb will find applications to room temperature chip-based THz spectroscopy. reprint
16.	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
17.	New design strategies for multifunctional and inexpensive quantum cascade lasers Steven Slivken; Manijeh Razeghi Proc. SPIE 10926, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XVI, 1092611-- February 1, 2019 This manuscript describes some of the new advances in active mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits enabled by new quantum cascade laser technologies. This includes monolithic beam steering which was achieved via the integration of a widely tunable QCL and a tapered grating outcoupler. A record 17.9 degrees of steering with a low divergence beam (0.5 degrees) was achieved. In addition, the use of surface emitting architectures is proposed as a means to reduce the manufacturing cost of next-generation QCLs. A reflective outcoupler is demonstrated which can allow for stable surface emission from a quantum cascade laser and has potential for cost-effective wafer-scale manufacturing. This outcoupler is integrated with an amplified, electrically tunable laser architecture to demonstrate high power surface emission at a wavelength near 4.9 μm. Single mode peak power up to 6.7 W is demonstrated with >6 W available over a 90 cm⁻¹ (215 nm) spectral range. All of this is achieved while maintaining a high quality output beam, similar to a standard edge emitter. reprint
18.	Surface Emitting, Tunable, Mid-Infrared Laser with High Output Power and Stable Output Beam Steven Slivken, Donghai Wu & Manijeh Razeghi Scientific Reports volume 9, Article number: 549-- January 24, 2019 A reflective outcoupler is demonstrated which can allow for stable surface emission from a quantum cascade laser and has potential for cost-effective wafer-scale manufacturing. This outcoupler is integrated with an amplified, electrically tunable laser architecture to demonstrate high power surface emission at a wavelength near 4.9 μm. Single mode peak power up to 6.7 W is demonstrated with >6 W available over a 90 cm⁻¹ (215 nm) spectral range. A high quality output beam is realized with a simple, single-layer, anti-reflective coating. The beam shape and profile are shown to be independent of wavelength. reprint
19.	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
20.	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
21.	Review of high power frequency comb sources based on InP From MIR to THZ at CQD Manijeh Razeghi, Quanyong Lu, Donghai Wu, Steven Slivken Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2018, San Diego, California, United States-- September 14, 2018 We present the recent development of high performance compact frequency comb sources based on mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. Significant performance improvements of our frequency combs with respect to the continuous wave power output, spectral bandwidth, and beatnote linewidth are achieved by systematic optimization of the device's active region, group velocity dispersion, and waveguide design. To date, we have demonstrated the most efficient, high power frequency comb operation from a free-running room temperature continuous wave (RT CW) dispersion engineered QCL at λ~5-9 μm. In terms of bandwidth, the comb covered a broad spectral range of 120 cm⁻¹ with a radio-frequency intermode beatnote spectral linewidth of 40 Hz and a total power output of 880 mW at 8 μm and 1 W at ~5.0 μm. The developing characteristics show the potential for fast detection of various gas molecules. Furthermore, THz comb sources based on difference frequency generation in a mid-IR QCL combs could be potentially developed. reprint
22.	Monolithic, steerable, mid-infrared laser realized with no moving parts Slivken S, Wu D, Razeghi M Scientific Reports 7, 8472 -- May 24, 2018 The mid-infrared (2.5 < λ < 25 μm) spectral region is utilized for many purposes, such as chemical/biological sensing, free space communications, and illuminators/countermeasures. Compared to near-infrared optical systems, however, mid-infrared component technology is still rather crude, with isolated components exhibiting limited functionality. In this manuscript, we make a significant leap forward in mid-infrared technology by developing a platform which can combine functions of multiple mid-infrared optical elements, including an integrated light source. In a single device, we demonstrate wide wavelength tuning (240 nm) and beam steering (17.9 degrees) in the mid-infrared with a significantly reduced beam divergence (down to 0.5 degrees). The architecture is also set up to be manufacturable and testable on a wafer scale, requiring no cleaved facets or special mirror coating to function. reprint
23.	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
24.	Shortwave quantum cascade laser frequency comb for multi-heterodyne spectroscopy Q. Y. Lu, S. Manna, D. H. Wu, S. Slivken, and M. Razeghi Applied Physics Letters 112, 141104-- April 3, 2018 Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are versatile light sources with tailorable emitting wavelengths covering the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral ranges. When the dispersion is minimized, frequency combs can be directly emitted from quantum cascade lasers via four-wave mixing. To date, most of the mid-infrared quantum cascade laser combs are operational in a narrow wavelength range wherein the QCL dispersion is minimal. In this work, we address the issue of very high dispersion for shortwave QCLs and demonstrate 1-W dispersion compensated shortwave QCL frequency combs at λ~5.0 μm, spanning a spectral range of 100 cm⁻¹. The multi-heterodyne spectrum exhibits 95 equally spaced frequency comb lines, indicating that the shortwave QCL combs are ideal candidates for high-speed high-resolution spectroscopy reprint
25.	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

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