LONG-WAVELENGTH INFRARED (LAMBDA-SIMILAR-OR-EQUAL-TO-11-MU-M) QUANTUMCASCADE LASERS

AIInAs/GaInAs quantum cascade (QC) lasers operating at lambda=11.2 mu m wavelength are reported. In pulsed operation the peak power is in ex cess of 50 mW at 110 K heat sink temperature and the devices have been operated at temperatures as high as 200 K. Continuous were single-mod e operation with powers similar or equal to 7 mW at 10 K has been achi eved. This work, combined with our previous reports on QC lasers, demo nstrates that these new light sources can be tailored, by suitable qua ntum design, over a wide wavelength range (4-11 mu m) using the same h eterostructure material. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.