Extended tuning in external cavity quantum cascade lasers
AssigneeDaylight Solutions, Inc.
InventorsTimothy Day, Miles James Weida
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a semiconductor lasers using quantum well gain medium, a quantum well stack is mounted in an epi-down configuration. The epitaxial side of the device may be directly bonded to an efficient heat transport system so that heat may more easily leave the quantum well stack layers and be disposed at a heatsink. Such a device runs cooler and exhibits reduced loss mechanisms as represented by a laser system loss-line. External cavity systems using this configuration may permit a high degree of tunability, and these systems are particularly improved as the tuning range is extended by lowered cavity losses.
Claims22
An optical source comprising:
- a quantum well gain medium;
- a thermally conductive substrate;
- and
- an optical resonator,
- wherein said quantum well gain medium has a base side and an epi side, and is bonded to the thermally conductive substrate on the epi side, and
- wherein said optical resonator is less than 30 millimeters is length and comprises at least one optical feedback element spatially removed from the quantum well gain medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.