Research on high output and control of metamaterial THz QCLs

• Project/Area Number: 18K04296
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 21060:Electron device and electronic equipment-related
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Lin Tsung-Tse 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 光量子工学研究センター, 研究員 (40585155)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: QCL / THz / 量子カスケードレーザー / テラヘルツ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, the origin of the new leak current in THz QCL is clarified via the operated energy levels and high energy subband levels. It is analyzed by the first-principles calculation based on the non-equilibrium green's function (NEGF) method. We focus on the optimization of the active structure and reducing the leak current via high energy levels with large injection current. It is the first proposal to develop a variable Al composition barrier-well active structure THz QCL in order to obtains high operation temperatures and large optical gain. The metal surface pattern is also analysis by FDTD and 3D-CWT method for the surface emission THz QCL. We have achieved a 1.3 W peak output and an average output of 55 mW QCL at 4.1 THz.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

テラヘルツ量子カスケードレーザー(THz QCL) は狭線幅のサブバンド間遷移発光を利用した単極性の電流注入型半導体デバイスであり、発光層超格子の膜厚と材料の組成を制御することによってサブバンド間遷移エネルギー(発振周波数)を自由に設計することが出来るため、連続動作可能な小型半導体テラヘルツ光源として、分光、リアルタイムイメージング、ローカル超高速大容量無線通信など幅広い産業への応用が期待されている。本研究は高温動作および高出力動作に大きく影響する新規のリーク電流を解析しました。達成したワット級高出力THz QCLは実際のTHz応用について、手軽く使用できる光源になりました。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Development of High Power Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers by Reducing Leakage Current using Non-Equilibrium Green's Function Method (2020)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Li Wang, Ke Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Journal Title: The Review of Laser Engineering Volume: 48 Pages: 250-254
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Development of High Power Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers by Reducing Leakage Current using Non-Equilibrium Green's Function Method (2020)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Li Wang, Ke Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Journal Title: The Review of Laser Engineering Volume: 48
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Short-period scattering-assisted terahertz quantum cascade lasers operating at high temperatures (2019)
  • Author(s): Li Wang, Tsung-Tse Lin, Ke Wang, Thomas Grange, Stefan Birner, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Journal Title: Scientific reports Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 9446-9446
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45957-8
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Parasitic transport paths in two-well scattering-assisted terahertz quantum cascade lasers (2019)
  • Author(s): Li Wang, Tsung-Tse Lin, Ke Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Journal Title: Applied Physics Express Volume: 12 Issue: 8 Pages: 082003-082003
  • DOI: 10.7567/1882-0786/ab2b56
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Optimization of terahertz quantum cascade lasers by suppressing carrier leakage channel via high-energy state (2018)
  • Author(s): Lin Tsung-Tse、Wang Li、Wang Ke、Grange Thomas、Hirayama Hideki
  • Journal Title: Applied Physics Express Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Pages: 112702-112702
  • DOI: 10.7567/apex.11.112702
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Broadening mechanisms and self-consistent gain calculations for GaN quantum cascade laser structures (2018)
  • Author(s): Wang Ke、Grange Thomas、Lin Tsung-Tse、Wang Li、Jehn Zoltan、Birner Stefan、Yun Joosun、Terashima Wataru、Hirayama Hideki
  • Journal Title: Applied Physics Letters Volume: 113 Issue: 6 Pages: 061109-061109
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.5029520
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Controlling loss of waveguides for potential GaN terahertz quantum cascade lasers by tuning the plasma frequency of doped layers (2018)
  • Author(s): Wang Ke、Lin Tsung-Tse、Wang Li、Terashima Wataru、Hirayama Hideki
  • Journal Title: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Volume: 57 Issue: 8 Pages: 081001-081001
  • DOI: 10.7567/jjap.57.081001
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] High output power THz quantum cascade lasers and their temperature dependent performance (2018)
  • Author(s): Lin Tsung-Tse, Wang Ke, Wang Li and Hirayama Hideki
  • Journal Title: Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves Volume: 37 Pages: 513-517
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 高出力テラヘルツQCLの進展 (2021)
  • Author(s): 林 宗澤
  • Organizer: テラヘルツ波科学技術と産業開拓第182委員会 第45回研究会
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Optimization of THz QCLs by Suppressing a Leakage Current via High Energy States (2019)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Ke Wang, Li Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: The 44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz 2019)
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Progress on high output power THz QCLs developed by reducing horizontal parasitic current leakage (2019)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Ke Wang, Li Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: 電子デバイス研究会(ミリ波・テラヘルツ波デバイス・システム)
• [Presentation] 0.45 Watt power GaAs-based THz QCL developed by reducing horizontal current leakage utilizing variable Al1-xGaxAs barriers-wells height structure (2019)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Wang Ke, Wang Li, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: 理研シンポジウム第7回「光量子工学研究」
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 0.44 Watt power GaAs/AlGaAs THz QCL developed by reducing horizontal current leakage (2019)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin, Ke Wang, and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: 第80回秋季応用物理学会学術講演会
• [Presentation] Optimization of terahertz quantum cascade lasers by suppressing a carrier leakage channel via a high energy state (2018)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: 1st International Conference on Photonics Research (ICPR2018)
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] THz-QCLs toward high output power near liquid nitrogen temperature operation (2018)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin and Hideki Hirayama
  • Organizer: 14th International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC2018)
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Recent progress of high power THz quantum cascade lasers (2018)
  • Author(s): Tsung-Tse Lin
  • Organizer: Nanotech Malaysia 2018
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Patent(Industrial Property Rights)] 量子カスケードレーザー素子 (2018)
  • Inventor(s): 王利，林宗澤，平山秀樹
  • Industrial Property Rights Holder: 王利，林宗澤，平山秀樹
  • Industrial Property Rights Type: 特許
  • Filing Date: 2018
  • Acquisition Date: 2018