Intersubband Transitions In Quantum Structures

Overview

Advances in epitaxial growth and nanofabrication technology in the past several years have made it possible to engineer sophisticated semiconductor quantum devices with unprecedented control of their electronic and optical properties. A particularly important class of such devices is based on intersubband transitions, i.e. optical transitions between quantized electronic states in semiconductor heterostructures. Most notably, mid-infrared quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) and quantum cascade lasers nowadays offer superior performance for applications such as thermal imaging, spectroscopy, and biochemical sensing, and have recently become commercially available. Intersubband devices also have the potential for a revolutionary impact in the fields of silicon photonics, terahertz sensing, and ultra-high-bandwidth fiber-optic communications, and extensive research is ongoing to fulfill this promise. Joined by an international group of world experts, Paiella describes the basic device physics and applications of intersubband transitions, as well as the more recent and important developments in this exciting area of semiconductor nanotechnology.

Table of contents

Chapter 1. Quantum Cascade Lasers: Overview of Basic Principles of Operation and State of the Art

C. Sirtori (Université Paris 7 and THALES Research & Technology, France) and R. Teissier (Université Montpellier 2, France)

Chapter 2. Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers
A. Tredicucci (Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy) and R. Köhler (Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy)

Chapter 3. High-Speed Operation and Ultrafast Pulse Generation with Quantum Cascade Lasers
R. Paiella (Boston University), R. Martini (Stevens Institute of Technology), A. Soibel (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech), H.C. Liu (National Research Council, Canada), and F. Capasso (Harvard University)

Chapter 4. Ultrafast Dynamics of Intersubband Excitations in Quantum Wells and Quantum Cascade Structures
T. Elsaesser (Max Born Institute, Germany)

Chapter 5. Optical Nonlinearities in Intersubband Transitions and Quantum Cascade Lasers
C. Gmachl (Princeton University), O. Malis (Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies), and A. Belyanin (Texas A&M University)

Chapter 6. Raman Injection and Inversionless Intersubband Lasers
A. Belyanin (Texas A&M University), M. Troccoli (Harvard University), and F. Capasso (Harvard University)

Chapter 7. Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector – High Absorption and High Speed Properties, and Two-Photon Response
H.C. Liu (National Research Council, Canada) and H. Schneider (Institute of Ion-Beam Physics and Material Research, Germany)

Chapter 8. Intersubband Transitions in Quantum Dots
P. Bhattacharya (University of Michigan), A.D. Stiff-Roberts (Duke University), X. Su (University of Michigan), S. Chakrabarti (University of Michigan), and C.H. Fischer (MIT Lincoln Lab)

Chapter 9. Intersubband Transitions in Si/SiGe Heterojunctions, Quantum Dots and Quantum Wells
H. Sigg (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)

Chapter 10. All-Optical Modulation and Switching in the Communication Wavelength Regime Using Intersubband Transitions in InGaAs/AlAsSb Heterostructures
A. Neogi (University of North Texas)

Biographical note

Roberto Paiella, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University. He has extensive research experience in photonics and semiconductor device physics, and has designed and developed several novel devices in the areas of all-optical switching, intersubband optoelectronics, photonic integrated circuits, and high-speed diode lasers. Dr. Paiella holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Boston University, he worked at Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies and in the Optoelectronics Division of Agere Systems.

Back cover copy

This volume provides a comprehensive review of the basic physics and applications of optoelectronic devices based on intersubband transitions in semiconductor quantum structures. Written by a team of world-class experts, this landmark guide describes both the fundamentals of operation of intersubband devices and the more recent and important developments in this exciting area of semiconductor nanotechnology. Topics covered include:
High-performance and high-speed mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers
Terahertz semiconductor lasers
Quantum well infrared photodetectors
Physics and applications of intersubband transitions in quantum dots
Nonlinear optics with intersubband transitions
Intersubband absorption and emission in silicon-based quantum structures
Ultrafast intersubband all-optical switching at telecommunication wavelengths

This book will be useful to scientists and engineers engaged in research and development work on intersubband devices, as well as graduate students interested in the fields of semiconductor quantum structures and optoelectronic devices.