Terahertz Quantum Cascade Laser Operating at 2.94 THz

The development of quantum cascade laser at 2.94 THz is reported. The laser structure is based on a bound-to-continuum active region and a semi-insulating surface-plasmon waveguide. Lasing is observed up to a heat-sink temperature of 70 K in pulsed mode with light power of 4.75 mW at 10 K and 1 mW at 70 K. A threshold current density of 296.5 A/cm(2) and an internal quantum efficiency of 1.57 x 10(-2) per cascade period are also observed at 10 K. The characteristic temperature of this laser is extracted to be T-0 = 57.5 K.

Surface Emitting Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Laser around 8.3 mu m

We demonstrate surface emitting distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers emitting at wavelengths from 8.1 mu m at 90 K to 8.4 mu m at 210 K. The second-order metalized grating is carefully designed using a modified coupled-mode theory and fabricated by contact lithography. The devices show single mode behavior with a side mode suppression ratio above 18 dB at all working temperatures. At 90 K, the device emits an optical power of 101 mW from the surface and 199 mW from the edge. In addition, a double-lobe far-field pattern with a separation of 2.2 degrees is obtained in the direction along the waveguide.

Broadly Tunable Grating-Coupled External Cavity Laser With Quantum-Dot Active Region

A broadly tunable and high-power grating-coupled external cavity laser with a tuning range of more than 200 nm and a similar to 200-mW maximum output power was realized, by utilizing a gain device with the chirped multiple quantum-dot (QD) active layers and bent waveguide structure. The chirped QD active medium, which consists of QD layers with InGaAs strain-reducing layers different in thickness, is beneficial to the broadening of the material gain spectrum. The bent waveguide structure and facet antireflection coating are both effective for the suppression of inner-cavity lasing under large injection current.

Rashba electron transport in 1D quantum waveguides

City Univ Hong Kong

高性能硅基锗光电探测器的研制

在信息产业、生物医学等科技领域越来越受关注的今天，新型光电子、光通信科技必将以更快的速度发展。Si基光电子集成采用成熟价廉的微电子加工工艺，将光学器件与多种功能的微电子电路集成，是实现光通信普及发展和光互连的有效途径。Si基光电探测器是Si基光通信系统的关键器件之一。随着近年来Si基Ge材料外延技术的突破性进展，Si基Ge光电探测器因为兼顾了Si基光电子集成和对光通讯波段(1.31和1.55μm)的高效探测，成为了当今研究的一大热点。
    半导体光电探测器的性能与其结构密切相关。PIN型光电探测器是最常见的探测器，可以普遍应用于光通讯光互连系统；雪崩光电二极管(APD)因为具有较高的响应度和内部增益，在实现单光子探测方面具备很大的优越性，适用于当今迅猛发展的生物光子学和量子信息学；共振腔增强型的光电探测器(RCE-PD)，集波长选择器、高速光信号接收器于一体，而且具备共振增强作用、高饱和功率输出等特点，是局域网、光纤入户和现代波分复用(Wavelength-Division Multiplexing,WDM)系统光通信网络的一种优选方案；波导结构探测器(Waveguide-PD)可以解除探测器的响应带宽和量子效率之间的矛盾，而且其结构特点更易于实现与调制器等光波导器件的集成，是片上光互连的首选探测器。
    本论文围绕高性能Si基Ge光电探测器这一研究目标，开展了多种结构的光电探测器的研制，包括PIN型PD的研制及其优化、吸收区与倍增区分离结构(SACM)的Ge-on-Si APD、RCE-PD和Waveguide-PD，主要研究结果如下：

1.                成功研制了PIN型Ge-on-Si光电探测器，器件在-1V外加偏压下暗电流密度为46.6mA/cm2，在1.31μm和1.55μm波长下器件的量子效率分别为40%和17%；然后改进了实验方法，在制作器件之前将Ge-on-Si材料在850℃条件下快速退火1分钟，从而改善材料质量，器件的暗电流密度降低至4mA/cm2，这是目前国际上报道的最好结果之一。

2.                研制出了PIN型Ge-on-SOI光电探测器，在1.31μm和1.55μm波长的量子效率分别为62%和25%。在-3V外加偏压下，器件的3dB带宽为12.6GHz。25μm直径器件，3dB带宽更是达到了13.4GHz。同时，制作了均匀性很好的1×4探测器阵列，单个器件的3dB带宽达13.3GHz。

3.                在国际上首次研究了硅基锗光电探测器的高饱和特性。在-1V和-2V外加偏压下，探测器的1-dB小信号压缩电流分别为22mA和40mA,相应的光功率分别为67.5mW和110.5mW。

4.                成功研制了吸收区和倍增区分离的Si基Ge雪崩光电二极管，器件的穿通电压Vpt约为29V，击穿电压Vbd(暗电流等于100μA时的电压)为39.5V。在击穿电压附近，如39V时，SACM-Ge-on-Si APD的增益为40。

5.                解决了背面ICP深刻蚀工艺难题，成功制备了中心波长在1.55μm，量子效应高达62%的共振腔增强型Si基Ge光电探测器。

Tuning the aggregation of polyimide thin films by modification of their molecular interactions

Thin films of an organo-soluble polyimide based on 1,4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene dianhydride (HQDPA) and 2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-methylene dianiline (DMMDA) have been studied. A prism coupler was used to measure the refractive indices. The average refractive indices of thin films prepared by annealing at different temperatures and times were chosen to characterize the condensation states of thin films. Thin films annealed at 200 degrees C show irreversible changes in physical properties, eg solubility. FTIR spectroscopy showed that the chain structures of the above thin films remained unchanged. It is proposed that specific molecular interactions induce the irreversible changes revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy. (C) 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparative study of insoluble and soluble polyimide thin films

Physical properties of thin films of soluble and insoluble aromatic polyimides were compared by d.s.c., u.v.-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, and prism coupler technique. D.s.c. results showed that the thermal properties of insoluble polyimides are superior to those of soluble ones, owing to the specific molecular interactions of insoluble polyimides, revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy. However, the specific molecular interactions sacrifice the transparency in their thin films, shown by u.v.-visible transmission spectra. Negative birefringence of thin films, not only for soluble polimides but also for polyamic acids of insoluble polyimides, was confirmed by prism coupler, while thin films of insoluble polyimides thermally imidized lack high levels of negative birefringence. It is regarded that thin films of insoluble polyimides thermally imidized are likely to be isotropic because of molecular relaxation above their glass transition temperatures (T-g) in the course of thermal imidization, according to Flory's principle. On the contrary, thin films of insoluble poyimide chemically imidized keep the same levels of negative birefringence as those of the relevant polyamic acid thin films. Judging from the opposite cases, it is recognized that molecular relaxation above T-g weakens the optical anisotropy of polyimide thin films. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical properties of organo-soluble polyimide thin films and their applications in liquid crystal displays

Three organo-soluble polyimide powders have been synthesized. Their imidization was verified by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The amorphous morphology of their thin films were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Polyimide thin films were prepared by solution casting or spin coating. UV-visible transmission spectra of thin films revealed that they are almost transparent in the range of visible light. With in-plane orientation, revealed by FTIR spectra, negative birefringence (Delta n) of thin films were observed, and refractive indices of the thin films along the film plane (n(TE)) and normal to the plane (n(TM)) were measured by a prism coupler. Because of negative birefringence of the thin films, they tan be substituted for the compensation films for twisted nematic liquid crystal displays (TN-LCDs) to extend their viewing angles. In this paper, a 90 degrees C TN-LCD and 120 degrees C TN-LCD were taken as examples to show the compensation effect of thin films of a qualified polyimide. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Optical anisotropy of flexible polyimide thin films

Optical anisotropy of thin films of an organo-soluble flexible polyimide based on 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy) benzene dianhydride (HQDPA) and 2,2-dimethyl-4,4'-methylene dianiline (DMMDA) was detected by a prism-coupler technique. A mechanism is proposed, based on the model of gel film collapse. The degrees of optical anisotropy of the thin films were evaluated via the level of negative birefringence. The residual solvent in the films lessens the levels of negative birefringence so that the residual solvent must be evacuated. The levels of negative birefringence are independent on the solid content of the initial solution, but dependent on the thickness of the films. For a film of 16 mu m thick, zero birefringence was achieved, postulated from the dependence of negative birefringence on the thickness of thin films. The relationship between the optical anisotropy and solution properties shows that the degrees of optical anisotropy of thin films on the same scale of thickness depend on macromolecular sizes in their dilute solutions.

Correlation between chain conformations and optical anisotropy of thin films of an organo-soluble polyimide

An organo-soluble polyimide was successfully synthesized by two step polycondensation accompanied with chemical imidization. Optical anisotropy of thin films was detected by a prism-coupler technique. The results showed that the optical anisotropic properties of thin films prepared from solutions in different solvents depend on the solution properties. It is concluded that the more expanded the chain conformation in solution, the larger the negative birefringence of thin films. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Study of molecular order in organo-soluble polyimide thin films

The changes in refractive indices (n(TE) and n(TM)) in a direction normal to the plane of thin films of an organo-soluble polyimide based on 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy) benzene dianhydride and 2,2'-dimethyl-4,4'-methylene dianiline were measured by a prism coupler. The results implied that the molecules near the substrate-polyimide interface were much ordered, while those near the polyimide-air interface were less ordered, judging from the variation in the level of negative birefringence with the depth of the films. The molecules are more condensed near the substrate surface, as seen by the average refractive index increasing from the polyimide-air interface to the substrate-polyimide interface, which implies that the condensed states of polyimide molecules change gradually in the depth direction. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.