Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
2.6
2.1
Journals
Photonics
Special Issues
The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers
share announcement

The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Quantum Photonics and Technologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3328

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Manijeh Razeghi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Quantum Devices, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-312, USA
Interests: optoelectronics; design; modeling; growth; characterization (optical, electrical, and structural); fabrication; packaging, and measurements of quantum devices; semiconductor lasers; photodetectors; focal plane arrays; QWIP, QDWIP, from deep UV (200 nm), up to THZ (300 microns)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Li Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Eastern Institute of Technology(EIT), Ningbo 315200, China
Interests: molecular beam epitaxy, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition; nonequilibrium green’s function; semiconductor lasers; device fabrications; terahertz
Dr. Quanyong Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: quantum photonic devices; nonlinear optics; terahertz lasers; frequency combs; electroabsorption-modulated lasers; single photon sources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hideki Hirayama

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Research Center for Advanced Photonics, RIKEN, Sendai 980-0845, Japan
Interests: terahertz; quantum cascade lasers; inter-subband transition; nitride semiconductors lasers; molecular-beam epitaxy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to join us in celebrating the remarkable progress made over nearly 30 years in the field of Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs), specifically covering the mid- and far-infrared (mid-IR; terahertz) spectra. The widespread implementation of QCLs in real-world applications, such as environmental sensing, process control, and combustion diagnostics, underscores their significant impact.

This Special Issue aims to present the milestones achieved and the latest hot topics related to QCL research. Given the primary focus of Photonics on devices, it is fitting to compile these advancements here.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and comments are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics: the physics of the intersubband transition, quantum transport simulations in QCLs, state-of-the-art mid-IR and THz QCL experiments, frequency noise and stabilization of QCLs, surface-emitting photonics configurations, frequency combs, multifrequency generation techniques for THz QCLs, and an extensive illustration of the various applications of QCLs.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Manijeh Razeghi
Dr. Li Wang
Dr. Quanyong Lu
Prof. Dr. Hideki Hirayama
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • intersubband transition
  • quantum transport models
  • quantum cascade lasers
  • mid-infrared/terahertz
  • nonlinearities
  • frequency comb
  • spectroscopy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

9 pages, 1179 KiB  
Article
Continuous-Wave Room-Temperature External Cavity Quantum Cascade Lasers Operating at λ~8.5 μm
by Zixian Wang, Yuzhe Lin, Yuan Ma, Chenyang Wan, Fengxin Dong, Xuyan Zhou, Jinchuan Zhang, Fengqi Liu and Wanhua Zheng
Photonics 2025, 12(2), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12020129 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 269
Abstract
External cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) utilizing the Littrow configuration and operating at an approximate wavelength of 8.5 μm have been successfully demonstrated in continuous wave operations at room temperature. Our work provides ideas and experimental support for the optimization of the EC-QCL [...] Read more.
External cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) utilizing the Littrow configuration and operating at an approximate wavelength of 8.5 μm have been successfully demonstrated in continuous wave operations at room temperature. Our work provides ideas and experimental support for the optimization of the EC-QCL which indicate optimal EC-QCL performance with an external cavity length of 25 cm and investigates the impact of various parameters, including injection current and temperature on the performance of the EC-QCL. In the absence of anti-reflection (AR) coating, the tuning range at 25 °C extends up to 103.3 cm−1, while the maximum side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) reaches 30.8 dB, accompanied by a full width half maximum linewidth (FWHM) of 0.76 nm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers)
17 pages, 4133 KiB  
Article
MOCVD Grown InGaAs/InAlAs Quantum Cascade Lasers Emitting at 7.7 μm
by Maciej Bugajski, Andrzej Kolek, Grzegorz Hałdaś, Włodzimierz Strupiński, Iwona Pasternak, Walery Kołkowski and Kamil Pierściński
Photonics 2024, 11(12), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11121195 - 20 Dec 2024
Viewed by 675
Abstract
In this paper, we report the growth of high-quality In0.59Ga0.41As/In0.37Al0.63As strain-balanced quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in the low-pressure MOCVD production type multi-wafer planetary reactor addressing, in particular, quality and scaled manufacturing issues. Special [...] Read more.
In this paper, we report the growth of high-quality In0.59Ga0.41As/In0.37Al0.63As strain-balanced quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in the low-pressure MOCVD production type multi-wafer planetary reactor addressing, in particular, quality and scaled manufacturing issues. Special attention was given to achieving the sharp interfaces (IFs), by optimizing the growth interruptions time and time of exposure of InAlAs layer to oxygen contamination in the reactor, which all result in extremely narrow IFs width, below 0.5 nm. The lasers were designed for emission at 7.7µm. The active region was based on diagonal two-phonon resonance design with 40 cascade stages. For epitaxial process control, the High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HR XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structural quality of the QCL samples. The grown structures were processed into mesa Fabry-Perot lasers using dry etching RIE ICP processing technology. The basic electro-optical characterization of the lasers is provided. We also present results of Green’s function modeling of QCLs and demonstrate the capability of non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) approach for sophisticated, but still computationally effective simulation of laser’s characteristics. The sharpness of the grown IFs was confirmed by direct measurements of their chemical profiles and as well as the agreement between experimental and calculated wavelength obtained for the bandstructure with ideally abrupt (non-graded) IFs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

14 pages, 3383 KiB  
Review
Room Temperature Terahertz and Frequency Combs Based on Intersubband Quantum Cascade Laser Diodes: History and Future
by Manijeh Razeghi and Quanyong Lu
Photonics 2025, 12(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12010079 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 531
Abstract
The year 2024 marks the 30-year anniversary of the quantum cascade laser (QCL), which is becoming the leading laser source in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range. Since the first demonstration, QCL has undergone tremendous development in terms of the output power, wall plug efficiency, [...] Read more.
The year 2024 marks the 30-year anniversary of the quantum cascade laser (QCL), which is becoming the leading laser source in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range. Since the first demonstration, QCL has undergone tremendous development in terms of the output power, wall plug efficiency, spectral coverage, wavelength tunability, and beam quality. Owing to its unique intersubband transition and fast gain features, QCL possesses strong nonlinearities that makes it an ideal platform for nonlinear photonics like terahertz (THz) difference frequency generation and direct frequency comb generation via four-wave mixing when group velocity dispersion is engineered. The feature of broadband, high-power, and low-phase noise of QCL combs is revolutionizing mid-IR spectroscopy and sensing by offering a new tool measuring multi-channel molecules simultaneously in the μs time scale. While THz QCL difference frequency generation is becoming the only semiconductor light source covering 1–5 THz at room temperature. In this paper, we will introduce the latest research from the Center for Quantum Devices at Northwestern University and briefly discuss the history of QCL, recent progress, and future perspective of QCL research, especially for QCL frequency combs, room temperature THz QCL difference frequency generation, and major challenges facing QCL in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 6110 KiB  
Review
Design and Characteristics of Photonic Crystal Resonators for Surface-Emitting Quantum Cascade Lasers
by Kazuaki Sakoda, Yuanzhao Yao, Naoki Ikeda, Yoshimasa Sugimoto, Takaaki Mano, Takashi Kuroda, Hirotaka Tanimura, Shigeyuki Takagi, Rei Hashimoto, Kei Kaneko, Tsutomu Kakuno, Shinji Ohkuma, Ryuichi Togawa, Tetsuya Miyagawa, Hiroshi Ohno and Shinji Saito
Photonics 2024, 11(11), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11111024 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 759
Abstract
We present our recent development of the surface-emitting quantum cascade laser with a PC (photonic crystal) resonator and a strain-compensated MQW (multiple quantum well) active layer operating at around 4.3 μm. We describe the laser performance mainly from the viewpoint of the design [...] Read more.
We present our recent development of the surface-emitting quantum cascade laser with a PC (photonic crystal) resonator and a strain-compensated MQW (multiple quantum well) active layer operating at around 4.3 μm. We describe the laser performance mainly from the viewpoint of the design and analysis of the PC resonators, which include both numerical calculations by FEM (finite element method) and analytical calculations using the k·p perturbation theory and group theory. We analyze the resonance quality factor, overlap factor, extraction efficiency, and far-field pattern, and show how the output power and beam quality have been improved by the appropriate design of the PC resonator. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Three-Decade Journey of Quantum Cascade Lasers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: SiN membrane-mediated IR amplitude modulation to THz QCL self-mixing signal conversion
Authors: Paolo Vezio1, Andrea Ottomaniello2, Leonardo Vicarelli3, Paul Dean4, Alessandro Pitanti3, Virgilio Mattoli2 and Alessandro Tredicucci5.
Affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia e LENS, Università di Firenze, INFN - Sezione di Firenze - via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI); 2Center for Materials Interfaces, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via R. Piaggio, 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; 3Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; 4 School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS29JT, UK; 5Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi and Center for Instrument Sharing of the University of Pisa (CISUP), Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Abstract: The intrinsic stability to optical feedback of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) makes them ideally suitable for laser feedback interferometry (LFI), or self-mixing (SM). At terahertz (THz) frequencies, QCL LFI has already been demonstrated as an effective technique to enable high-speed high-sensitivity detection performance for metrology and imaging applications. Here, we introduce a LFI scheme consisting of a THz QCLs coupled to an IR laser via a gold coated silicon nitride membrane as the vibrating mirror of the external QCL laser cavity. The THz QCL SM signal is detected upon IR illumination of the mechanical resonator in both static and (piezo-electrically) actuated state. This allows the measurement of the dependence of membrane frequency and displacement on the impinging IR power. The experimental results are found in agreement with both finite-element simulations of the mechanical resonator dynamics under optical excitation and the corresponding solutions of the Lang-Kobayashi equations of the laser subject to the time-varying optical feedback. Signal conversion from the IR power modulation into the THz SM signal is finally demonstrated. This study reveals the possibility to provide double information encoding from IR to THz frequencies exploiting a mechanical resonator-coupled QCL feedback interferometer.

Back to TopTop