High-temperature Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." The proposed research seeks to develop terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (THz QCLs) that operate at high temperatures. Specifically, by end of the proposed three-year period, the principal investigator envisions the development of THz QCLs that can operate at temperatures above 240 K, so that they can be conveniently cooled by thermoelectric coolers. Such a development will have a significant impact on science and technologies in THz frequencies, where potential applications are promising in detection of chemical and biological agents, imaging for medical and security applications, astrophysics, remote atmospheric sensing and monitoring, high-bandwidth free-space communications, and ultrahigh-speed signal processing. Intellectual merit: The project will involve a considerable effort of quantum design. If an isolated quantum well can be viewed as a one-dimensional "artificial atom", then a multiple quantum-well (MQW) structure is an "artificial molecule". This project is nothing short of designing and making such artificial molecules that perform the desired function of THz lasers. Broader impacts: The principal investigator has been invited to give invited/plenary/keynote talks at many prestigious conferences. The work has also been reported in media for broad communities such as Technology Review, Laser Focus, and NPR Market Place. Through collaborations, the THz lasers developed in the PI's group have helped to enhance infrastructures at other institutions in THz-related activities by adding a crucial enabling component. The principal investigator will incorporate elements in the research project into a graduate course in solid-state physics and a undergraduate core course Signals and Systems.