This project will develop a new class of interband cascade lasers based on plasmon-waveguides. The plasmon-waveguide lasers will be much less demanding in the growth of device structures and have significantly enhanced thermal dissipation compared to current interband cascade lasers that use superlattices as cladding layers. This will result in efficient cw operation at a wide range of wavelengths and at higher temperatures. The success of this research project will, not only realize efficient, plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers with low power consumption, it will advance the understanding of how plasmon-waveguides can significantly improve the device performance of interband diode lasers. Efficient, plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers will greatly enhance the capabilities of mid-infrared laser instruments, which will benefit many useful applications, especially where mid-infrared systems must be operated with batteries and energy cost/availability is a concern. Broader Impacts: This project will generate new cutting-edge knowledge toward improved design and understanding of quantum semiconductor structures and devices. The realization of energy-efficient plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers in the mid-infrared wavelength region will have significant impact on biomedical, industrial, earth science, space exploration, defense and homeland security applications. This project will offer graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Oklahoma unique opportunities to pursue education, training and research in multidisciplinary topics (materials science, quantum engineering, photonics, and device fabrication). This project will also enhance Oklahoma?s infrastructure for science and technology development and increase the opportunities of students from under-represented regions in science and engineering. The lasers produced in this project will be eye-safe and used in education (even research) projects by selected K-12 schools. This project will promote the participation of faculty and students in statewide educational outreach activities.
In this project, energy-efficient interband cascade (IC) lasers were successfully developed to operate at long wavelengths (> 10 microns). Such long wavelength IC lasers can provide benefits of low power consumption and energy savings in combination with high-performance photodetectors for practical applications such as chemical sensing with high sensitivity. Also, for the first time, IC lasers were demonstrated with a single waveguide to lase simultaneously at two distinct wavelengths based on essentially overlapping fundamental modes. These single-waveguide dual-wavelength IC lasers have a good beam quality and enables applications in intra-cavity nonlinear optics. Furthermore, this project has demonstrated IC lasers with emission wavelengths that can be widely tuned over several hundred nanometers by only changing injection current, which will allow a chemical sensing system to detect more molecules with reduced weight, cost and size. This research project has enriched cutting-edge knowledge in the design and understanding of quantum-engineered semiconductor structures and devices. Students and postdocs have been offered unique opportunities in pursuing education, training and research in inherently multidisciplinary topics (materials science, quantum engineering, photonics, and device fabrication). The students and postdocs supported by this project have gained extensive training in semiconductor devices, from concepts to realistic applications. This project has also enhanced the infrastructure of Oklahoma for science and technology development.
