New active ring resonators using mid-infrared QCLs
Active ring resonators using mid-infrared QCLs: A White Paper from Wavelength Electronics
Read this White Paper to find out how photonic integrated circuits (PICs) applications could benefit from active ring resonators using quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources to open up applications in the mid-IR range
Mid-infrared (mid-IR) photonics has emerged as an important field that is able to accommodate applications as diverse as spectroscopy, chemical sensing, environmental monitoring, healthcare, and telecommunications.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) can offer a great deal of potential for mid-infrared (mid-IR) applications, but the mid-IR range also lacks the level of development of PIC tools and solutions of its near-IR and visible counterparts.
To try to help counteract this, a team of researchers from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute in Austria, and Institutes in Portugal developed a mid-infrared ring resonator and directional couplers, using a quantum cascade active region in the wave core. The new ring resonator system broadens the range of implementations possible using mid-IR active PICs for spectroscopy, communication, and microwave generation, and could potentially open up a number of additional opportunities, including molecular gas sensing spectroscopy, communications, and microwave generation.
Who should read this White Paper?
This White Paper is a useful resource for engineers and buyers at spectroscopy and communication companies, as well as research projects and institutions involving spectroscopy, and academia. If you use QCLs for any type of system that needs low-noise drivers and stable temperature controllers, or experiment in the mid-infrared range, this White Paper is definitely worth a read.
What this White Paper covers
This White Paper details how the researchers in Massachusetts, Austria, and Portugal designed an active mid-infrared ring resonator incorporating a quantum cascade active region in the waveguide core with directional couplers. It covers:
- An introduction to optical ring resonators and their benefits for research and commercial technology
- The problems and goals associated with applications in the mid-IR range
- The research methodology used in developing the mid-infrared ring resonator and directional couplers, using a quantum cascade active region in the wave core
- The results: what the researchers were able to achieve with the new ring resonator design
- How low-noise QCL drivers and stable temperature controllers from Wavelength Electronics played a key role in ensuring consistent, repeatable results and higher performance
