Optically-pumped continuous-wave terahertz sources

Philipp Latzel; Fabio Pavanello; Emilien Peytavit; Mohammed Zaknoune; Guillaume Ducournau; Xavier Wallart; Jean-François Lampin

doi:10.1117/12.2080756

8 February 2015 Optically-pumped continuous-wave terahertz sources

Philipp Latzel, Fabio Pavanello, Emilien Peytavit, Mohammed Zaknoune, Guillaume Ducournau, Xavier Wallart, Jean-François Lampin

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9370, Quantum Sensing and Nanophotonic Devices XII; 937008 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2080756
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2015, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Recently we have improved the efficiency and the output power of our optically pumped continuous-wave THz sources. These sources are based on the beating of two laser lines in a wide bandwidth photodetector. Its intrinsic nonlinear behaviour is used to produce a beatnote at the frequency difference between the two laser lines (photomixing). These photomixers are continuously tunable THz sources working at room temperature. We have developed two kinds of photomixers: GaAs-based for 0.8 μm pumping and InP-based for 1.5 μm pumping. On GaAs the best results has been obtained thanks to low-temperature-grown GaAs (LTG-GaAs) photoconductors (PC). Efficiency and power were optimized by designing a new type of thin PC placed in a Fabry-Pérot resonator. The high impedance of the PC is a wellknown limitation of this device but with our approach it was possible to reduce its impedance by a factor 100. Moreover by designing an impedance matching network it was possible to obtain 1.8 mW at 252 GHz with a total efficiency of 0.5 %. On InP the best results are obtained with uni-travelling-carrier photodiodes (UTC-PD). The device was improved by designing a new heterostructure and new semi-transparent contacts with sub-wavelength apertures. The active layer was also bonded to a silicon substrate thanks to metal thermocompression. It is demonstrated that with this approach it is possible to obtain a power of 0.7 mW at 300 GHz with a total efficiency of 0.7 %. More generally the efficiency of optically pumped terahertz sources will be discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Philipp Latzel, Fabio Pavanello, Emilien Peytavit, Mohammed Zaknoune, Guillaume Ducournau, Xavier Wallart, and Jean-François Lampin "Optically-pumped continuous-wave terahertz sources", Proc. SPIE 9370, Quantum Sensing and Nanophotonic Devices XII, 937008 (8 February 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2080756

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