Optically pumped four-level infrared laser based on intersubband transitions in multiple quantum wells: feasibility study

The feasibility of optically pumped infrared laser based on the intersubband transitions in multiple quantum wells is studied theoretically. The criteria for population inversion and efficient lasing operations are established. A system consisting of a superlattice with four quantum wells per period is proposed and shown to satisfy the criteria. The relaxation processes are investigated, giving the electron-phonon interaction a rigorous theoretical treatment. It is shown that in the proposed structure, optical gain in excess of 300 cm/sup -1/ can be realized under practical pumping conditions. Modification and optimization of the proposed laser are discussed. >

[1]  B. Ridley.  The electron-phonon interaction in quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor quantum-well structures , 1982 .

[2]  J. Katz,et al.  Evaluation of the feasibility of a far‐infrared laser based on intersubband transitions in GaAs quantum wells , 1989 .

[3]  Qing Hu,et al.  Feasibility of far‐infrared lasers using multiple semiconductor quantum wells , 1991 .

[4]  Kang L. Wang,et al.  Novel infrared band‐aligned superlattice laser , 1987 .

[5]  T. C. L. G. Sollner,et al.  Observation of optically pumped intersubband emission from quantum wells , 1990, Other Conferences.

[6]  Allen,et al.  Intersubband emission from semiconductor superlattices excited by sequential resonant tunneling. , 1989, Physical review letters.

[7]  Can barriers with inverted tunneling rates lead to subband population inversion , 1990 .

[8]  Raphael Tsu,et al.  Superlattice and negative differential conductivity in semiconductors , 1970 .

[9]  H. Taylor,et al.  Infrared phase modulators with multiple quantum wells , 1989 .

[10]  L. C. West,et al.  First observation of an extremely large‐dipole infrared transition within the conduction band of a GaAs quantum well , 1985 .

[11]  Kang L. Wang,et al.  Observation of large oscillator strengths for both 1→2 and 1→3 intersubband transitions of step quantum wells , 1990 .

[12]  Kwong-Kit Choi,et al.  New 10 μm infrared detector using intersubband absorption in resonant tunneling GaAlAs superlattices , 1987 .

[13]  M. Helm,et al.  Observation of grating‐induced intersubband emission from GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices , 1988 .