Title :
Optically Pumped Electrically Driven THz Generation–-An Approach for an Efficient Room-Temperature THz Quantum Cascade Laser?
Author :
Waldmueller, Inès ; Chow, Weng W. ; Wanke, Michael C.
Author_Institution :
Sandia Nat. Labs., Albuquerque
Abstract :
We investigate an optically pumped electrically driven laser scheme as an approach for terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers. The scheme keeps the advantages of optical conversion, and increases the efficiency by recycling the pump photons. Using a microscopic theory based on the Maxwell-semiconductor Bloch equations, we demonstrate that the approach offers a path to room-temperature THz generation. Furthermore, we show how successful recovery of the pump intensity can yield optical conversion efficiencies exceeding the Manley-Rowe limit.
Keywords :
Maxwell equations; optical frequency conversion; optical pumping; quantum cascade lasers; submillimetre wave generation; submillimetre wave lasers; Maxwell-semiconductor Bloch equations; THz generation; THz quantum cascade laser; electrically driven laser scheme; microscopic theory; optical conversion; pump photons; terahertz generation; terahertz quantum cascade lasers; Biomedical optical imaging; Laser excitation; Laser transitions; Nonlinear optics; Optical mixing; Optical pumping; Optical scattering; Optical superlattices; Pump lasers; Quantum cascade lasers; Gain without inversion; Manley–Rowe quantum limit; intersubband semiconductor laser; optical conversion; quantum cascade laser (QCL); terahertz (THz) generation;
Journal_Title :
Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JSTQE.2007.903584
