Abstract
A ZnO/Zn1−x Mg x O-based quantum cascade laser (QCL) is proposed as a candidate for generation of THz radiation at room temperature. The structural and material properties, field dependence of the THz lasing frequency, and generated power are reported for a resonant phonon ZnO/Zn0.95Mg0.05O QCL emitting at 5.27 THz. The theoretical results are compared with those from GaN/Al x Ga1−x N QCLs of similar geometry. Higher calculated optical output powers [\( {P}_{\rm{ZnMgO}} \) = 2.89 mW (nonpolar) at 5.27 THz and 2.75 mW (polar) at 4.93 THz] are obtained with the ZnO/Zn0.95Mg0.05O structure as compared with GaN/Al0.05Ga0.95N QCLs [\( {P}_{\rm{AlGaN}} \) = 2.37 mW (nonpolar) at 4.67 THz and 2.29 mW (polar) at 4.52 THz]. Furthermore, a higher wall-plug efficiency (WPE) is obtained for ZnO/ZnMgO QCLs [24.61% (nonpolar) and 23.12% (polar)] when compared with GaN/AlGaN structures [14.11% (nonpolar) and 13.87% (polar)]. These results show that ZnO/ZnMgO material is optimally suited for THz QCLs.
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Chou, H.C., Mazady, A., Zeller, J. et al. Room-Temperature Quantum Cascade Laser: ZnO/Zn1−x Mg x O Versus GaN/Al x Ga1−x N. J. Electron. Mater. 42, 882–888 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2548-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2548-5