Thermal modeling of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers: Comparison of optical waveguides

Craig A. Evans, Dragan Indjin, Zoran Ikonić, Paul Harrison, Miriam Serena Vitiello, Vincenzo Spagnolo, Gaetano Scamarcio

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We compare a set of experimental lattice temperature profiles measured in a surface-emitting terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade laser (QCL) with the results of a 2-D anisotropic heat diffusion model. We evaluate the temperature dependence of the cross-plane thermal conductivity (kappa) of the active region which is known to be strongly anisotropic due to its superlattice-like nature. Knowledge of kappa and its temperature dependence is crucial in order to improve the temperature performance of THz QCLs and this has been used to investigate the longitudinal lattice temperature distribution of the active region and to compare the thermal properties of metal-metal and semi-insulating surface-plasmon THz optical waveguides using a 3-D anisotropic heat diffusion model.

Original languageEnglish
Article number4511490
Pages (from-to)680-685
Number of pages6
JournalIEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
Volume44
Issue number7
Early online date7 May 2008
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2008
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermal modeling of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers: Comparison of optical waveguides'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this