Mid-infrared Ring Interband Cascade Laser: Operation at the Standard Quantum Limit

Year: 2024

Authors: Marschick G., Pelini J., Gabbrielli T., Cappelli F., Weih R., Kntztig H., Koeth J., Htzfling S., De Natale P., Strasser G., Borri S., Hinkov B.

Autors Affiliation: TU Wien, Inst Solid State Elect, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; Ctr Micro & Nanostruct, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; Univ Naples Federico II, I-80138 Naples, Italy; INO Ist Nazl Ott, CNR, I-50125 Florence, FI, Italy; INO Ist Nazl Ott, CNR, I-50019 Florence, Italy; LENS European Lab Nonlinear Spect, I-50019 Florence, Italy; Nanoplus Nanosyst & Technol GmbH, D-97218 Gerbrunn, Germany; Julius Maximilians Univ Wurzburg, Lehrstuhl Tech Phys, Phys Inst, D-97074 Wurzburg, Germany; INFN Ist Nazl Fis Nucleare, I-50019 Florence, Italy.

Abstract: Many precision applications in the mid-infrared spectral range have strong constraints based on quantum effects that are expressed in particular noise characteristics. They limit, e.g., sensitivity and resolution of mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopic systems as well as the bit-error rate in optical free-space communication. Interband cascade lasers (ICLs) are a class of mid-infrared lasers exploiting interband transitions in type-II band alignment geometry. They are currently gaining significant importance for mid-infrared applications from < 3 to > 6 mu m wavelength, enabled by novel types of high-performance ICLs such as ring-cavity devices. Their noise behavior is an important feature that still needs to be thoroughly analyzed, including its potential reduction with respect to the shot-noise limit. In this work, we provide a comprehensive characterization of lambda = 3.8 mu m-emitting, continuous-wave ring ICLs operating at room temperature. It is based on an in-depth study of their main physical intensity noise features such as their bias-dependent intensity noise power spectral density and relative intensity noise. We obtained shot-noise-limited statistics for Fourier frequencies above 100 kHz. This is an important result for precision applications, e.g., interferometry or advanced spectroscopy, which benefit from exploiting the advantage of using such a shot-noise-limited source, enhancing the setup sensitivity. Moreover, it is an important feature for novel quantum optics schemes, including testing specific light states below the shot-noise level, such as squeezed states.

Journal/Review: ACS PHOTONICS

Volume: 11 (2)      Pages from: 395  to: 403

More Information: The authors acknowledge financial support by the European Union’s Next Generation EU Programme with the I-PHOQS Infrastructure [IR0000016, ID D2B8D520, CUP B53C22001750006] Integrated infrastructure initiative in Photonic and Quantum Sciences, by the European Union’s Research and Innovation Programmes Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe with the cFlow Project [G.A. n. 828893] Coherent ultrafast long wave infrared communications and the MUQUABIS Project [G.A. n. 101070546] Multiscale quantum bioimaging and spectroscopy, by the European Union’s QuantERA II [G.A. n. 101017733]& horbar;QATACOMB Project Quantum correlations in terahertz QCL combs, by Fondazione CR Firenze through the SALUS project, and by the Italian ESFRI Roadmap (Extreme Light Infrastructure & horbar;ELI Project). The authors are grateful for financial support from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) through the ATMO-SENSE project [G.A. n. 1516332] Novel portable, ultrasensitive, fast and rugged trace gas sensor for atmospheric research based on photothermal interferometry and the NanoWaterSense project [G.A. n. 873057] Mid-IR Sensor for Trace Water Detection in Organic Solvents, Oils, and Petrochemical Products. Financial support by the State of Bavaria is greatly acknowledged.
KeyWords: mid-infrared; optoelectronics; interband cascadelaser; balanced detection; intensity noise; shot-noise; quantum limit
DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.3c01159

Citations: 2
data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-24
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