A team of UCF researchers has produced the most efficient quantum cascade laser ever designed – and done it in a way that makes the lasers easier to manufacture.
Quantum cascade lasers, or QCLs, are tiny – smaller than a grain of rice – but they pack a punch. Compared to traditional lasers, QCLs offer higher power output and can be tuned to a wide range of infrared wavelengths. They can also be used at room temperature without the need for bulky cooling systems.
But because they’re difficult and costly to produce, QCLs aren’t used much outside the Department of Defense.
A University of Central Florida team led by Assistant Professor Arkadiy Lyakh has developed a simpler process for creating such lasers, with comparable performance and better efficiency. The results were published recently in the scientific journal Applied Physics Letters.