Uncooled, High-Efficiency Mid-Infrared Lasers by Using Intersubband Quantum-Box Structures

所提出的工作的目的是展示利用量子盒（qb）阵列中的子带间跃迁的设备，以低散热功率实现中红外（IR）波长范围内的室温连续波（CW）振荡。智力优势：提出的新方法有：1)利用嵌段共聚物光刻技术实现20-25纳米直径qb阵列；2)利用深量子阱对QB活性材料进行强载流子约束；更广泛的影响：非冷却、连续波中红外源的实现将使手持式实时传感器成为可能，用于广泛的非侵入性医疗诊断，并使化学剂和爆炸物的实际传感等令人兴奋的发展成为可能。这个项目的中心目标和自然结果是本科生和研究生的研究型教育。学生们将在一个已建立的以团队为基础的协作环境中参与研究的各个方面。拟议的项目通过我们与威斯康星大学现有的学院和国家科学基金会中心项目的持续合作，为未被充分代表的群体提供了机会。所提出的QB激光器的实现将对中红外激光器的科学和技术产生变革性影响，因为减少两个数量级的散热将导致非冷却设备，这反过来将彻底改变中红外传感器行业，因为手持传感器将可用于大量应用。

The objective of the proposed work is to demonstrate devices that utilize intersubband transitions in arrays of quantum boxes (QBs), to achieve room-temperature, continuous-wave (CW) oscillation in the mid-infrared (IR) wavelength range, with low heat-dissipation powers. Intellectual Merit: The novel approaches proposed are: 1) the use of block-copolymer lithography for the realization of arrays of 20-25 nm-diameter QBs; 2) the use of deep quantum wells for the QB active material for strong carrier confinement; 3) the use of selective regrowth of high-bandgap barriers to confine carriers in the plane of the QBs..Broader Impacts: The realization of uncooled, CW mid-IR sources will make possible hand-held, real-time sensors for a wide range of noninvasive medical diagnostics and enable exciting developments such as practical sensing of chemical agents and explosives. A central goal and natural outcome of this project is the research-based education of both undergraduate and graduate students. The students will be involved in all aspects of the research within an established collaborative team-based environment. The proposed program provides opportunities for outreach to underrepresented groups through our ongoing partnering with the existing college and NSF Center-based programs at the University of Wisconsin. The realization of the proposed QB lasers will have a transformational impact on both the science and technology of mid-IR lasers because reducing the heat dissipation by two orders of magnitude will lead to uncooled devices, which in turn will revolutionize the mid-IR sensors industry since hand-held sensors would become available for a vast array of applications.