High Power, Extended Aperture Quantum Cascade Lasers

The objective of the proposed effort is to develop high-performance mid-wave infrared (MWIR) Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) with a large area aperture achieved through a surface emission architecture.  Compared to a standard edge emitting laser, the extended aperture of the surface emitting laser reduces the optical power density by over two orders of magnitude, thus eliminating the failure mechanism related to catastrophic optical breakdown at the laser facet.  This can be achieved in compact devices which can be produced at reduced cost. In this proposed project, the surface emission architecture will first be optimized with numerical modeling for optimal efficiency and near diffraction limited output.  The numerical modeling will be verified through proof of concept verification of the proposed device.  The potential for power scaling will also be explored with the goal of achieving at least 20 W of output power in continuous operation.