Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

Andrew Grier; Paul Dean; Alexander Valavanis; James Keeley; Iman Kundu; Jonathan D. Cooper; Gary Agnew; Thomas Taimre; Yah Leng Lim; Karl Bertling; Aleksandar D. Rakic; Lianhe H. Li; Paul Harrison; Edmund H. Linfield; Zoran Ikonic; A. Giles Davies; Dragan Indjin

doi:10.1364/OE.24.021948

Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

Andrew Grier^*, Paul Dean, Alexander Valavanis, James Keeley, Iman Kundu, Jonathan D. Cooper, Gary Agnew, Thomas Taimre, Yah Leng Lim, Karl Bertling, Aleksandar D. Rakic, Lianhe H. Li, Paul Harrison, Edmund H. Linfield, Zoran Ikonic, A. Giles Davies, Dragan Indjin

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current-voltage (I-V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I-V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	21948-21956
Number of pages	9
Journal	Optics Express
Volume	24
Issue number	19
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.24.021948
Publication status	Published - 19 Sept 2016
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Feedback Interferometry
Terahertz imaging
Interferometry
Semiconductor lasers, quantum cascade

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10.1364/OE.24.021948Licence: CC BY

oe-24-19-21948Final published version, 1.99 MBLicence: CC BY

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Grier, A., Dean, P., Valavanis, A., Keeley, J., Kundu, I., Cooper, J. D., Agnew, G., Taimre, T., Lim, Y. L., Bertling, K., Rakic, A. D., Li, L. H., Harrison, P., Linfield, E. H., Ikonic, Z., Davies, A. G., & Indjin, D. (2016). Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers. Optics Express, 24(19), 21948-21956. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.24.021948

@article{bf7b80fe2062479daa52997ab8db1e0a,

title = "Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers",

abstract = "We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current-voltage (I-V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I-V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL. ",

keywords = "Feedback Interferometry, Terahertz imaging, Interferometry, Semiconductor lasers, quantum cascade",

author = "Andrew Grier and Paul Dean and Alexander Valavanis and James Keeley and Iman Kundu and Cooper, {Jonathan D.} and Gary Agnew and Thomas Taimre and Lim, {Yah Leng} and Karl Bertling and Rakic, {Aleksandar D.} and Li, {Lianhe H.} and Paul Harrison and Linfield, {Edmund H.} and Zoran Ikonic and Davies, {A. Giles} and Dragan Indjin",

year = "2016",

month = sep,

day = "19",

doi = "10.1364/OE.24.021948",

language = "English",

volume = "24",

pages = "21948--21956",

journal = "Optics Express",

issn = "1094-4087",

publisher = "Optical Society of America",

number = "19",

}

Grier, A, Dean, P, Valavanis, A, Keeley, J, Kundu, I, Cooper, JD, Agnew, G, Taimre, T, Lim, YL, Bertling, K, Rakic, AD, Li, LH, Harrison, P, Linfield, EH, Ikonic, Z, Davies, AG & Indjin, D 2016, 'Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers', Optics Express, vol. 24, no. 19, pp. 21948-21956. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.24.021948

TY - JOUR

T1 - Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

AU - Grier, Andrew

AU - Dean, Paul

AU - Valavanis, Alexander

AU - Keeley, James

AU - Kundu, Iman

AU - Cooper, Jonathan D.

AU - Agnew, Gary

AU - Taimre, Thomas

AU - Lim, Yah Leng

AU - Bertling, Karl

AU - Rakic, Aleksandar D.

AU - Li, Lianhe H.

AU - Harrison, Paul

AU - Linfield, Edmund H.

AU - Ikonic, Zoran

AU - Davies, A. Giles

AU - Indjin, Dragan

PY - 2016/9/19

Y1 - 2016/9/19

N2 - We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current-voltage (I-V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I-V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL.

AB - We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current-voltage (I-V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I-V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL.

KW - Feedback Interferometry

KW - Terahertz imaging

KW - Interferometry

KW - Semiconductor lasers, quantum cascade

U2 - 10.1364/OE.24.021948

DO - 10.1364/OE.24.021948

M3 - Article

SN - 1094-4087

VL - 24

SP - 21948

EP - 21956

JO - Optics Express

JF - Optics Express

IS - 19

ER -

Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

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