Recently, the research team of Intron Research Institute and Intron Photonics has made important progress in the research of interband cascade laser (ICL) in the mid-infrared inter-band cascade laser (ICL), and the relevant team has realized a series of high-performance, room-temperature continuous operation, and multiple inter-band cascade lasers6 m and 52μm。
At present, most of the interband cascade lasers are grown on gasb substrates, while the interband cascade lasers reported by the Catchon team are grown on INAS substrates, and the waveguide cladding is composed of INAS ALSB superlattice and highly doped INAS layers. Compared to common GASB inter-baseband cascade lasers, INAS inter-baseband lasers are more effective at longer wavelengths (e.g., longer than 45 m) with a lower threshold current density.
a）4.Devices with a wavelength of 6 m, a cavity length of 2 mm, and a ridge width of 10 m are continuously lasing spectra between 20 and 64;
b) Continuous current-voltage-power curve between 20 and 64 for the same device.
For 4An interband cascade laser with a wavelength of 6 m and a wide-ridge device with a room temperature pulse threshold current density of 292 A cm;The narrow ridge device with a 2 mm cavity length and 10 m ridge width can operate up to 64 hours continuously and an output power of 20 mW at room temperatureAt similar wavelengths, it is the highest continuous operating temperature reported so far. For 5An interband cascade laser with a wavelength of 2 m and a wide-ridge device with a threshold current density of 306 cm at room temperatureThe narrow ridge device with a 2 mm cavity length and 10 m ridge width has a maximum continuous operating temperature of 41 and an output power of 10 mW at room temperatureThe threshold current density at a similar wavelength is the lowest level reported. Related**"High-temperature continuous-w**e operation of inas-based interband cascade laser" (doi:10.)1063/5.0171089) and "inas-based interband cascade laser operating at 517 μm in continuous w**e above room temperature”（10.1109/lpt.2023.3335856) Published in Applied Physics Letters and IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, respectively.
a）5.Devices with a wavelength of 2 m, a cavity length of 2 mm, and a ridge width of 10 m have continuous lasing spectra between 15 and 41;(b) The continuous current-voltage-power curve interband cascade laser of the same device between 15 and 41 is based on band engineering and quantum mechanics to produce lasing, with high technical content and many difficulties in development, which is an important embodiment of the core technology of nano and quantum devices in China. It has important application value and scientific significance in the fields of medical diagnosis and free-space communication. The original concept of the interband cascade laser was developed by Professor Rui Q. Yang of the University of OklahomaYang) first proposed in 1994 that the current structure is basically based on the near-lattice matched Inas GASB ALSB group 35 material system, and the active region is mostly INAS GASB class II quantum wells, which can cover the wavelength range from mid-infrared to far-infrared. Interband cascade lasers combine the advantages of traditional semiconductor diode lasers and quantum cascade lasers with lower threshold power and threshold current densities compared to quantum cascade lasers that also cover the mid-infrared band, which is important in applications that require portable and battery-powered devices. At present, the global interband cascade laser market is still dominated by foreign companies, and China is still in the initial stage of industrial development. The two works reported in this paper indicate that Catchon Photonics has reached a high technical level in the epitaxial design and device fabrication of inter-band cascade lasers, and has become an enterprise that has mastered the technology of high-performance inter-band cascade lasers. This work also lays a solid foundation for the subsequent development and mass production of single-mode tunable DFB interband cascade lasers. Ruichuang Photonics (Wuxi) Technology Co., Ltd. is a holding subsidiary of Yantai Ruichuang Micro-Nano Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on the R&D and industrialization of photonic chip technologies such as III-V optoelectronic devices and silicon-based optoelectronic devices.