Energy Efficient Interband Cascade Lasers

智能优点：该项目将开发一种基于等离子体波导管的新型带间级联激光器。与目前使用超晶格作为包覆层的带间级联激光器相比，等离子体波导管激光器对器件结构的生长要求要低得多，并且大大增强了热耗散。这将导致在宽波长范围和更高温度下高效的连续波工作。该研究项目的成功不仅将实现高效率、低功耗的等离子体波导带间级联激光器，还将促进人们对等离子体波导管如何显著提高带间二极管激光器的器件性能的理解。高效的等离子体波导带间级联激光器将极大地提高中红外激光仪器的性能，这将使许多有用的应用受益，特别是在中红外系统必须使用电池操作且能源成本/可用性令人担忧的情况下。更广泛的影响：该项目将产生新的尖端知识，以改进量子半导体结构和器件的设计和理解。在中红外波段实现高能效的等离子体波导带间级联激光器，将对生物医学、工业、地球科学、空间探测、国防和国土安全等领域的应用产生重大影响。该项目将为俄克拉荷马大学的研究生和本科生提供在多学科主题(材料科学、量子工程、光子学和器件制造)方面进行教育、培训和研究的独特机会。该项目还将加强俄克拉荷马州S的科学和技术发展基础设施，并增加来自代表性不足地区的学生在科学和工程领域的机会。该项目生产的激光将是眼睛安全的，并将用于选定的K-12学校的教育(甚至研究)项目。该项目将促进教师和学生参与全州范围内的教育推广活动。

Intellectual Merit:This project will develop a new class of interband cascade lasers based on plasmon-waveguides. The plasmon-waveguide lasers will be much less demanding in the growth of device structures and have significantly enhanced thermal dissipation compared to current interband cascade lasers that use superlattices as cladding layers. This will result in efficient cw operation at a wide range of wavelengths and at higher temperatures. The success of this research project will, not only realize efficient, plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers with low power consumption, it will advance the understanding of how plasmon-waveguides can significantly improve the device performance of interband diode lasers. Efficient, plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers will greatly enhance the capabilities of mid-infrared laser instruments, which will benefit many useful applications, especially where mid-infrared systems must be operated with batteries and energy cost/availability is a concern. Broader Impacts: This project will generate new cutting-edge knowledge toward improved design and understanding of quantum semiconductor structures and devices. The realization of energy-efficient plasmon-waveguide interband cascade lasers in the mid-infrared wavelength region will have significant impact on biomedical, industrial, earth science, space exploration, defense and homeland security applications. This project will offer graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Oklahoma unique opportunities to pursue education, training and research in multidisciplinary topics (materials science, quantum engineering, photonics, and device fabrication). This project will also enhance Oklahoma?s infrastructure for science and technology development and increase the opportunities of students from under-represented regions in science and engineering. The lasers produced in this project will be eye-safe and used in education (even research) projects by selected K-12 schools. This project will promote the participation of faculty and students in statewide educational outreach activities.