New Methods of Terahertz Technology PRA-0035

Full Title Development of New Methods of Terahertz Technology and Application of the Methods in Gaseous and Atmospheric Spectroscopy, Solid State Physics and the Study of High-Purity Solid and Gaseous Materials Tech Area / Field

• PHY-SSP: Physics / Solid State Physics
• INF-ELE: Information and Communications / Microelectronics and Optoelectronics

Brief Description of Technology
Despite the potential impact they would have on atmospheric monitoring, in chemical technologies, and in the production of high-purity materials, space communication and astrophysics, the THz domain lacks compact, simple and reliable sources. Today the only semiconductor (intraband) source in the THz domain is the p-Ge hot-hole laser (proposed and developed to a substantial extent by members of this research proposal who received the USSR State Prize for Physics for this achievement). It operates at liquid helium temperatures and (up to now) has a low repetition rate and operates in the pulse mode. The only other existing intraband semiconductor laser is the quantum cascade laser developed at Bell Laboratories. It operates at higher temperatures and at higher repetition rates, but at wavelengths of less than 8 microns. There is a clear need for the development of semiconductor sources in the technology-poor THz regime. On the other hand, powerful vacuum-tube electronic devices are scarce in the world. In fact, there are only two: the Free Electron Laser at UCSB in Santa Barbara, and the Free Electron Laser "Felix" at Delft University of Technology. There is also a great need for the development of a cheap, reliable and powerful vacuum tube source in the THz region. One such possibility lies in the high harmonic gyrotron.

The Institute of Applied Physics is the birthplace of low harmonic microwave gyrotrons (several State Prize were awarded for these developments). Our experience in microwave gyrotrons will be used in the development of high harmonic THz gyrotrons.

The present research proposal is directed at the task of establishing the scientific basis for the development of sources and other technologies in the THz domain. At the first stage, our research proposals will concentrate on five different (but interrelated) directions:
A. Advances in the parameters of p-Ge lasers toward single mode-tunable high repetition rate (or even cw) lasers based on specifically doped germanium samples, and also the development of mode-locked p-Ge lasers to be used in time-domain THz spectroscopy. Frequency-stabilized gaseous FIR lasers and Terahertz Backward Wave Oscillators (BWOs) will be used as frequency references for heterodyne spectroscopy of the emission frequency of the p-Ge lasers.
B. Extension of the microwave method of gaseous spectroscopy based on coherent spontaneous emission (CSE) to the THz frequency region. The main idea is to join the advantages of the tunable and powerful p-Ge lasers to the high sensitivity heterodyne detection technique existing in the millimeter and THz frequency region based either on BWO or on gas lasers with Schottky diode mixers. Application of the developed methods in the study of the THz spectra of several molecules.
C. Study of the hot hole phenomena and population inversion in selectively doped p-type InGaAs-GaAs multiple quantum well-structure (MQW) in a high-lateral electric field, which were recently discovered by our group. Attempt to develop new kinds of Thz sources, based on these structures and phenomena, which could overcome p-Ge lasers (e.g. by working at liquid nitrogen temperature).
D. Development of higher harmonic gyrotrons for the THz domain and first application of the gyrotrons in Atmospheric Spectroscopy and Solid State Physics.
E. Development of new photoconductivity detectors based on Ge-Si/Ge multiple-quantum well-structures and new planar Schottky diodes to be used in spectroscopic, THz gyrotron, and laser parameter monitoring systems.

Legal Aspects
Lasers using hot holes in p-Ge are now well-known in the scientific community and several patents concerning these lasers were issued in the USSR. Several patents for Microwave Gyrotrons were issued in the USSR, but none for the higher harmonic THz gyrotrons.

Special Facilities in Use and Their Specifications
For the fabrication of p-Ge lasers and photodetectors based on Ge-Si/Ge MQW, CVD deposition-growth machines will be used. For Schottky diode fabrication and InGaAs-GaAs MQW systems, MOCVD growth facilities will be used, as well as submicrometer facilities of the Institute for the Physics of Microstructures of the RAS. The subrelativistic high-current electron beam facilities at the IAP of the RAS will be used for the development of higher harmonic gyrotrons.

Scientific Papers
A.Andronov "Highly Nonequilibrium Hot Hole Distribution in Ge" // In: Modern problems in Condense Matter Physics, Elseivier, 1992, vol.35, Spectroscopy of Nonequilibrium Electrons and Phonons, p.169.

Opt.Quantum Electronics, 1991, V.23, N2, (Special issue on far infrared semiconductor lasers, A.Andronov and E.Gornik eds.).

A.V.Murav'ev, I.M.Nefedov, S.G.Pavlov and V.N.Shastin, Tunable narrow-band laser on intersubband transitions of hot holes in germanium, Kvantovaya elektronika, 20 (N2), 142-148 (1993) (Sov.Phys. - Quantum. Electron., Vol.23, no.2, 119-124 (1993)).

V.I.Gavrilenko et al. "Cyclotron resonance of charge carriers in strained Ge_1-xSi_x-Ge heterostructures" JETP Lett., 1994, V.59, N.5, pp.348-352; JJAP., 1994, V.33, Pt.1, No.4B, pp.2386- 2387. "Far infrared spectroscopy of MQW heterostructures Ge/Ge_1-xSi_x". Abstracts of Invited Lectures and Contributed Papers of International Symposium "Nanostructures: Physics and Technology", St.Petersburg 1994, pp.205-208.

V.I.Gavrilenko et al "Hot hole p-Ge lasers and masers for the spectroscopy of multi-quantum well heterostructures Ge/Ge_1-xSi_x". In: "Fabrication, Properties and Applications of Low-Dimensional Semiconductors" (ed.by M.Balkanski and I.Yanchev), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 1995, pp.175-176.

V Aleshkin, A Andronov, A Antonov, N Bekin, V Gavrilenko, D Revin, E Linkova, I Malkina, E Uskova, B Zvonkov "IR emission of hot holes in strained MQW heterostructures InGaAs-GaAs under real space transfer" in Abstracts of Invited Lectures and Contributed Papers of the International Symposium: Nanostructures: Physics and Technology (Zh.Alferov and L.Esaki Co-Chairmen) pp 443-446, St.Petersburg, June 1996.

V Aleshkin, A Andronov, A Antonov, N Bekin, V Gavrilenko, D Revin, E Linkova, I Malkina, E Uskova, B Zvonkov "IR radiation from hot holes during spartial transport in selectively doped InGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with quantum wells" JETP Lett., Vol.64, N7, pp.520-524 (1996).

V.Aleshkin, A.Andronov, A.Antonov, N.Bekin, V.Gavrilenko, A.Muravjev, S.Pavlov, V.N.Shastin, D.Revin, E.Linkova, I.Malkina, E.Uskova, B.Zvonkov "Population inversion and IR mission under real space transfer: prospect for a new source" (Proceedings of 23d International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors).

V.Ya.Aleshkin, A.A.Andronov, A.V.Antonov, N.A.Bekin, I.V.Erofeeva, V.I.Gavrilenko, O.A.Kuznetsov, E.R.Lin'kova, I.G.Malkina, M.D.Moldavskaya, D.G.Revin, E.A.Uskova, B.N.Zvonkov. “Hot holes in strained MQW heterostructures InGaAs/GaAs and Ge/GeSi.” Proceedings of 23 Int.Symposium on Compounds Semiconductors 1996. St.Petersburg, September 1996.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20