量子级联激光器的发展研究

The Developmental Study of Quantum Cascade Laser

量子级联激光器已被证明与传统的二极管激光器具有不同的发光原理,它是在子带间跃迁基础上的一种新型激光器。在理论上量子级联激光器的激射波长可调节性更强,拥有更广泛的应用前景。在近十年的研究中,量子级联激光器的激射波长已由最初的4.2μm扩展到可覆盖大部分中红外和部分远红外光谱区域,最近,更实现了在THz频率范围的激射。本文主要是对量子级联激光器发明与发展的综合回顾,并对其工作原理和应用作了简要介绍。

In 1994, the Bell Labs invented the first quantum cascade laser. A quantum cascade laser that differs in a fundamental way from diode lasers has been demonstrated, it is a new type laser based on intersubband transition. In principle, the radiation frequency from quantum cascade lasers can be tailored in a wide fre- quency range, so it has various possible applications. In nearly a decade of research on quantum cascade laser development process, the radiation wavelength has been expanded from 4.2 μ m initially to over most of the mid-infrared and part of the far-infrared spectrum. Very recently, the quantum cascade laser also can operate at terahertz frequency. The paper provides a comprehensive review of quantum cascade lasers developments by researching on invention and development process of quantum cascade lasers, and brief introduction of operation principle and applications. The paper also includes research by Chinese scientists in this field.