High-power continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers

High-power continuous-wave (CW) laser action is reported for a GaInAs-AlInAs quantum cascade structure operating in the mid-infrared (λ≃5 μm). Gain optimization and reduced heating effects have been achieved by employing a modulation-doped funnel injector with a three-well vertical-transition active region and by adopting InP as the waveguide cladding material to improve thermal dissipation and lateral conductance. A CW optical power as high as 0.7 W per facet has been obtained at 20 K with a slope efficiency of 582 mW/A, which corresponds to a value of the differential quantum efficiency η_d=4.78 much larger than unity, proving that each electron injected above threshold contributes to the optical field a number of photons equal to the number of periods in the structure. The lasers have been operated CW up to 110 K and more than 200 mW per facet have still been measured at liquid nitrogen temperature. The high overall performance of the lasers is also attested by the large “wall plug” efficiency, which, for the best device, has been computed to be more than 8.5% at 20 K. The spectral analysis has shown finally that the emission is single-mode for some devices up to more than 300 mW at low temperature