Performance of a compact, continuous-wave terahertz source based on a quantum-cascade laser

Author

Richter, H. ; Greiner-Bär, M. ; Pavlov, S.G. ; Semenov, A.D. ; Wienold, M. ; Schrottke, L. ; Giehler, M. ; Hey, R. ; Grahn, H.T. ; Hübers, H.W.

Author_Institution

Inst. of Planetary Res., German Aerosp. Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany

fYear

2010

fDate

5-10 Sept. 2010

Firstpage

1

Lastpage

1

Abstract

We report on the development of a compact, easy-to-use terahertz radiation source, which combines a quantum-cascade laser (QCL) with a compact, low-input-power Stirling cooler. The QCL, which is based on a two-miniband design, has been developed for high output and low electrical pump power. Special care has been taken to achieve a good thermal coupling between the QCL and the cold finger of the cooler. The whole system weighs less than 15 kg including the cooler and power supplies. The maximum output power is 8 mW at 3.1 THz. With an appropriate optical beam shaping, the emission profile of the laser is fundamental Gaussian. The applicability of the system is demonstrated by imaging and molecular-spectroscopy experiments.

Keywords

Gaussian distribution; laser beams; light sources; quantum cascade lasers; terahertz wave generation; QCL; compact continuous-wave terahertz source; compact low-input-power Stirling cooler; electrical pump power; frequency 3.1 THz; fundamental Gaussian emission profile; laser emission profile; optical beam shaping; power 8 mW; quantum-cascade laser; two-miniband design; Cooling; Imaging; Laser beams; Optical beams; Power generation; Quantum cascade lasers; Resonant frequency;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Infrared Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), 2010 35th International Conference on

Conference_Location

Rome

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-6655-9

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICIMW.2010.5612338

Filename

5612338