Phonon-pumped SiGe-Si interminiband terahertz laser

摘要

The first phonon-pumped semiconductor laser has been proposed andntheoretically investigated. The active region is an unbiased boron-dopednSi0.94Ge0.06-Si superlattice withnSi0.97Ge0.03 buffer layers embedded in ansurface-plasmon strip waveguide. Warm and cool heat sinks create antemperature gradient across the waveguide. A heat buffer layer adjacentnto the cool sink reflects optical phonons and transmits acousticnphonons, Within the resonator, the difference in effective temperaturesnof optical and acoustic phonons provides hole pumping for the lasingntransition between the heavy-hole 2 (HH2) and heavy-hole 1 (HH1)nminibands. A gain of 280/cm at the 5 THz emission frequency is predictednfor 6×1017/cm3 doping at temperatures of 300nK and 77 K for optical and acoustic phonons, respectively. A range ofnoperating conditions in phonon-pumped IV-IV, III-V, and II-VI materialsnappears feasible