We investigated the multi-mode operation of long-cavity terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (l ≥ 7.5 mm). For QCLs based on an active region design with longitudinal optical (LO) phonon transitions, emission with 30–40 strong modes in a range of more than 270 GHz (9 cm-1) is observed. For certain operating conditions, we found evidence for stable frequency comb operation, which has been further proven by a self-mixing technique. In general, the multimode dynamics is characterized by a complex alternation of broad- and narrow-beat note regimes for these devices. In contrast, only a single narrow-beat note regime was observed for a different long-cavity device based on a bound-to-continuum active region, for which the emission comb spans only 33 GHz (1.1 cm-1). We further report a technique based on a tunable bandpass filter to confirm the presence of weak emission modes in the periphery of THz combs, which allowed for the unambiguous detection of modes within a dynamic range of 35 dB. We found that the 35-dB width of the comb can exceed the 20-dB width by a factor of two.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.