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Author (up) Rabanus, D.; Graf, U. U.; Philipp, M.; Ricken, O.; Stutzki, J.; Vowinkel, B.; Wiedner, M. C.; Walther, C.; Fischer, M.; Faist, J.
Title Phase locking of a 1.5 terahertz quantum cascade laser and use as a local oscillator in a heterodyne HEB receiver Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Optics Express Abbreviated Journal
Volume 17 Issue 3 Pages 1159-1168
Keywords QCL heterodyne, 300 uW at 1.5 THz, HEB mixer
Abstract We demonstrate for the first time the closure of an electronic phase lock loop for a continuous–wave quantum cascade laser (QCL) at 1.5 THz. The QCL is operated in a closed cycle cryo cooler. We achieved a frequency stability of better than 100 Hz, limited by the resolution bandwidth of the spectrum analyser. The PLL electronics make use of the intermediate frequency (IF) obtained from a hot electron bolometer (HEB) which is downconverted to a PLL IF of 125 MHz. The coarse selection of the longitudinal mode and the fine tuning is achieved via the bias voltage of the QCL. Within a QCL cavity mode, the free-running QCL shows frequency fluctuations of about 5 MHz, which the PLL circuit is able to control via the Stark–shift of the QCL gain material. Temperature dependent tuning is shown to be nonlinear, and of the order of -16 MHz/K. Additionally we have used the QCL as local oscillator (LO) to pump an HEB and perform, again for the first time at 1.5 THz, a heterodyne experiment, and obtain a receiver noise temperature of 1741 K.
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Call Number Serial 628
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