Mid-infrared Ultra-strong Coupling Polariton Emitters

摘要：中红外超材料子带间极化激元发射器非技术性：该项目的目标是通过设计超材料中光与半导体量子威尔斯之间的量子力学相互作用来开发中红外光源。 许多感兴趣的分子与中红外光（3-30 μ m）强烈相互作用，这些新光源将使传感和成像应用于工业，医学和国土安全。 该计划将量子和光子工程相结合，设计出具有更高发射效率的全新光源。 同时是光和物质的特殊量子态被纳入具有工程光子环境的超材料中。 量子态和光子环境都被设计成以增加的速率发射光子。 除了推进中红外发射器的最新技术外，该计划还寻求通过让当地学生参与宣传活动来解决科学，技术，工程和数学的教育和多样性问题，这些活动的重点是了解光和光学在消费技术中的作用。技术：该计划旨在通过超材料谐振器中的光子场与半导体量子威尔斯中的电子子带间跃迁之间的超强耦合来提高非相干中红外源的辐射量子效率。 该提案的总体主题是使用量子和光子工程来提高光子的发射率，而不是对量子级联激光器等设备进行增量改进。 提出了几种提高光-物质耦合强度的创新方法，如使用InP基材料和激发态子带间跃迁。 另一个创新是将双曲超材料纳入谐振器设计中，以增强光子态密度，从而进一步改善自发辐射。 该计划的方法是集成的，包括理论，计算，设计，制造和实验工作，以（1）开发中红外超材料谐振器，（2）增加光-物质耦合强度，（3）实现高效的电注入中红外发射器。 带有量子威尔斯阱的设计超材料将通过分子束外延生长，并在最先进的纳米制造设施中制造成器件。 将使用傅里叶变换红外光谱对材料和器件进行表征。 该计划的工作将为将超材料纳入有源光电器件奠定基础，并为电泵浦器件中的超强光-物质耦合工程奠定基础。 该计划的目标是雄心勃勃的：非相干中红外光源的功率超过3 mW，转换效率超过0.5%，取代替代方法，如亚阈值激光发射，效率低4到5个数量级。

Abstract: Mid-infrared metamaterial intersubband polariton emittersNontechnical: The goal of the project is to develop mid-infrared optical sources by engineering the quantum mechanical interaction between light and semiconductor quantum wells in metamaterials with designer photonic environments. Many molecules of interest interact strongly with mid-infrared light (3-30 ìm) and these new sources will enable sensing and imaging for applications in industry, medicine, and homeland security. The program combines quantum and photonic engineering to design fundamentally new sources with improved emission efficiency. Special quantum states that are simultaneously light and matter are incorporated into metamaterials with engineered photonic environments. Both the quantum state and the photonic environment are designed to emit photons at an increased rate. In addition to advancing the state-of-the-art for mid-infrared emitters, this program also seeks to address education and diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by engaging local students in outreach events that focus on understanding the role of light and optics in consumer technologies. Technical:The program aims to improve the radiative quantum efficiency of incoherent mid-infrared sources by engineering ultra-strong coupling between the photon field in a metamaterial resonator and electronic intersubband transitions in semiconductor quantum wells. The overall theme of the proposal is to improve the emission rate of photons using quantum and photonic engineering rather than incremental improvements to devices such as quantum cascade lasers. Several innovations to increase the light-matter coupling strength are proposed, such as using InP-based materials and excited state intersubband transitions. Another innovation is the incorporation of hyperbolic metamaterials into the resonator design to enhance the photonic density of states, thus further improving spontaneous emission. The approach for the program is integrated, including, theoretical, computational, design, fabrication, and experimental efforts to (1) develop mid-infrared metamaterial resonators, (2) increase light-matter coupling strength, and (3) implement efficient electrical injection mid-infrared emitters. Designed metamaterials with quantum wells will be grown via molecular beam epitaxy and fabricated into devices in a state-of-the-art nanofabrication facility. The materials and devices will be characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The work in this program will develop a basis for incorporating metamaterials into active optoelectronic devices and also lay a foundation for engineering ultra-strong light-matter coupling in electrically pumped devices. The goals of this program are ambitious: incoherent mid-infrared sources with more than 3 mW of power and greater than 0.5% conversion efficiency superseding alternative approaches such as sub-threshold laser emission that is four to five orders of magnitude less efficient.