Optical sideband generation up to room temperature with mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers
Abstract
Mid-infrared (MIR) sideband generation on a near infrared (NIR) optical carrier is demonstrated within a quantum cascade laser (QCL). By employing an externally injected NIR beam, E NIR , that is resonant with the interband transitions of the quantum wells in the QCL, the nonlinear susceptibility is enhanced, leading to both frequency mixing and sideband generation. A GaAs-based MIR QCL (E QCL = 135 meV) with an aluminum-reinforced waveguide was utilized to overlap the NIR and MIR modes with the optical nonlinearity of the active region. The resulting difference sideband (E NIR – E QCL) shows a resonant behavior as a function of NIR pump wavelength and a maximum second order nonlinear susceptibility, χ (2) , of ~1 nm/V was obtained. Further, the sideband intensity showed little dependence with the operating temperature of the QCL, allowing sideband generation to be realized at room temperature.
Domains
Optics [physics.optics]
Origin : Publication funded by an institution
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