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Technology of Quantum Devices pp 271–319Cite as

Quantum Cascade Lasers

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Abstract

As a result of mass production, millions of semiconductor diode lasers are manufactured each month and appear in products ranging from telecommunications transmitters to DVD players and laser pointers. For traditional laser diodes, the applications are often dictated by what part of the electromagnetic spectrum is accessible. For example, telecommunications lasers operate in a region of the infrared where silica optical fiber has minimum dispersion or transmission loss. Laser-based displays, on the other hand, require red, green, and blue lasers to make a visible image. A biological fluorescence system will often require an ultraviolet source to function correctly. Though most people are unaware, a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum is still not fully utilized commercially due to the lack of a proper laser source. This includes the bulk of the “infrared” region. Though the scientific community has been exploring it for some time, the systems used for research are usually too bulky, too expensive, and too hard to understand to become large scale commercial products

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Walter P. Murphy Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Dr. RM 4051, Evanston, IL, 60208-3129, USA

    Manijeh Razeghi

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  1. Manijeh Razeghi
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Razeghi, M. (2010). Quantum Cascade Lasers. In: Technology of Quantum Devices. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1056-1_7

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