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arXiv · 2308.05683

Quantum Cascade Surface Emitting Lasers

David Stark·Filippos Kapsalidis·Sergej Markmann·Mathieu Bertrand·Bahareh Marzban·Emilio Gini·Mattias Beck·Jérôme Faist
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Abstract

A low-cost single frequency laser emitting in the mid-infrared spectral region and dissipating minimal electrical power is a key ingredient for the next generation of portable gas sensors for high-volume applications involving chemical sensing of important greenhouse and pollutant gases. We propose here a Quantum Cascade Surface Emitting Laser (QCSEL), which we implement as a short linear cavity with high reflectivity coated end-mirrors to suppress any edge emission and use a buried semiconductor diffraction grating to extract the light from the surface. By wafer-level testing we investigate the cavity length scaling, extract mirror reflectivities larger than 0.9, and achieve a pulsed threshold power dissipation of 237 mW for an emission wavelength near 7.5 $\mu$m. Finally, we demonstrate single mode emission with a side-mode suppression ratio larger than 33 dB of a 248 $\mu$m short cavity mounted with the epitaxial layer up and operated in continuous wave at 20 $^\circ$C.

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David Stark, Filippos Kapsalidis, Sergej Markmann, Mathieu Bertrand, Bahareh Marzban, Emilio Gini, Mattias Beck, Jérôme Faist. 2023-08-10. Quantum Cascade Surface Emitting Lasers. https://doi.org/10.1002/lpor.202300663

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