Title

Intracavity Modulation Of Thz P-Ge Laser Gain By Interband Optical Excitation

Abstract

Optical quenching of the THz inter-sub-band p-Ge laser (tunable in the wavelength range 70-200 μm with ∼1W output power) by Nd:YAG laser radiation has been investigated. YAG laser pulses were coupled into a p-Ge laser cavity through a SrTiO 3 laser mirror, which is highly reflecting at cryogenic temperatures for THz frequencies and transparent for visible and near-IR light. Fast quenching of the p-Ge laser emission intensity was observed and attributed to free carrier absorption by optically generated electron-hole pairs in a thin layer of the active p-Ge crystal end surface. The effect also occurs when the interband absorption is confined to optically stimulated intracavity Si or GaAs spacers, which are transparent in the far-IR, placed between the SrTiO 3 laser mirror and the active crystal end face. Such fast quenching of the p-Ge laser might be used to sharpen the trailing edge of the far-IR emission pulse for time-resolved or cavity-ring-down spectroscopic applications. Direct-gap semiconductor spacers might be used as fast, optically controlled intracavity modulators for active mode-locking.

Publication Date

9-13-2004

Publication Title

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Volume

5332

Number of Pages

47-54

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.529080

Socpus ID

4344632463 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/4344632463

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