Heterostructures for quantum-cascade lasers of the wavelength range of 7–8 μm

Abstract

It is shown that molecular-beam-epitaxy technology can be used to fabricate heterostructures for quantum-cascade lasers of the wavelength range of 7–8 μm with an active region comprising 50 cascades based on a heterojunction of In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As/Al 0.48 In 0.52 As solid solutions. The optical emission is obtained using a quantum-cascade design operating on the principle of two-phonon resonance scattering. The properties of heterostructures were studied by the methods of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, which showed their high quality with respect to the identical compositions and thicknesses of all 50 cascades. Stripe-geometry lasers made of these heterostructures exhibited lasing with a threshold current density below 1.6 kA/cm 2 at a temperature of 78 K.