Mid-Infrared Frequency Combs and Pulse Generation based on Single Section Interband Cascade Lasers

Pavel Abajyan; Baptiste Chomet; Daniel A. Diaz-Thomas; Mohammadreza Saemian; Martin Mičica; Juliette Mangeney; Jerome Tignon; Alexei N. Baranov; Konstantinos Pantzas; Isabelle Sagnes; Carlo Sirtori; Laurent Cerutti; Sukhdeep Dhillon

arXiv · 2410.09627

Mid-Infrared Frequency Combs and Pulse Generation based on Single Section Interband Cascade Lasers

Pavel Abajyan·Baptiste Chomet·Daniel A. Diaz-Thomas·Mohammadreza Saemian·Martin Mičica·Juliette Mangeney·Jerome Tignon·Alexei N. Baranov·Konstantinos Pantzas·Isabelle Sagnes·Carlo Sirtori·Laurent Cerutti·Sukhdeep Dhillon

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Abstract

Interband Cascade Lasers (ICLs) are semiconductor lasers emitting in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR 3-6 {\mu}m) and can operate as frequency combs (FCs). These demonstrations are based on double section cavities that can reduce dispersion and/or are adapted for radio-frequency operation. Here we show that ICLs FCs at long wavelengths, where the refractive index dispersion reduces, can be realized in a single long section cavity. We show FC generation for ICLs operating at {\lambda} ~ 4.2 {\mu}m, demonstrating narrow electrical beatnotes over a large current range. We also reconstruct the ultrafast temporal response through a modified SWIFT spectroscopy setup with two fast MWIR detectors, which shows a frequency modulated response in free-running operation. Further, we show that, through active modelocking, the ICL can be forced to generate short pulses on the order of 3 ps. This temporal response is in agreement with Maxwell Bloch simulations, highlighting that these devices possess long dynamics (~100ps) and potentially makes them appropriate for the generation of large peak powers in the MWIR.

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Pavel Abajyan, Baptiste Chomet, Daniel A. Diaz-Thomas, Mohammadreza Saemian, Martin Mičica, Juliette Mangeney, Jerome Tignon, Alexei N. Baranov, Konstantinos Pantzas, Isabelle Sagnes, Carlo Sirtori, Laurent Cerutti, Sukhdeep Dhillon. 2024-10-12. Mid-Infrared Frequency Combs and Pulse Generation based on Single Section Interband Cascade Lasers. https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.09627

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