High-performance broadband infrared (IR)/terahertz (THz) detection is crucial in many optoelectronic applications. However, the spectral response range of semiconductor-based photodetectors is limited by the bandgaps. This paper proposes a ratchet structure based on the GaAs/Al _x Ga _{1− x} As heterojunction, where the quasi-stationary hot hole distribution and intravalence band absorption from light or heavy hole states to the split-off band overcome the bandgap limit, ensuring an ultrabroadband photoresponse from near-IR to THz region (4 to 300 THz). The peak responsivity of the proposed structure can reach 7.3 A/W, which is five orders of magnitude higher than that of the existing broadband photon-type detector. Because of the ratchet effect, the proposed photodetector has a bias-tunable photoresponse characteristic and can operate in the photovoltaic mode with a broad photocurrent spectrum (18 to 300 THz). This work not only demonstrates a broadband photon-type THz/IR photodetector but also provides a method to study the light-responsive ratchet.

We report on Terahertz quantum cascade lasers with tapered waveguide structure operating at ∼ 103 μm. The tapered waveguide effect on the output power and the laser beam divergence are experimentally studied with the tapered angle ranging from 0° to 8°. It is found that the peak output power of the devices with same length reaches the maximum at about 5° ∼6° tapered angle. Meanwhile, the horizontal divergence angle of the laser beam can be greatly reduced. The existence of such optimal tapered angle is explained by the finite-element simulation with the consideration of the self-focusing effect for the devices with larger tapered angle.

An ultra-broadband upconversion device is demonstrated by direct tandem integration of a p-type GaAs/Al_xGa_1-xAs ratchet photodetector (RP) with a GaAs double heterojunction light emitting diode (DH-LED) using the molecular beam epitaxy. An ultra-broadband photoresponse from the terahertz (THz) to near-infrared (NIR) region (4–200 THz) was realized, which covered a much wider frequency range compared with existing upconversion devices. Broadband IR/THz radiation from a 1000 K blackbody was upconverted into NIR light that could be detected via a commercial Si-based device. The normal incidence absorption of the RP simplified the structure of the RP-LED device and made it more compact than the intersubband transition-based upconverters. In addition to upconversion, the proposed upconverter was investigated as a photovoltaic detector in the infrared region (detection range from 18 to 150 THz) based on the ratchet effect without an applied bias voltage.

The phase-locking, noise, and modulation properties of two face-to-face optically mutual-injected terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are analyzed theoretically. In the phase-locking range, the two THz QCLs are in stationary states working at the same frequency. Outside the phase-locking range, the amplitude and the instantaneous frequency of the optical field oscillate with time, and the power spectrum shows a series of discrete peaks. For strong mutual injection, the optical field of the THz QCL array also exhibits oscillatory behavior. Coherent collapse or chaotic behavior is not observed within the range of the parameters used in this simulation. The spontaneous emission noise of phase-locked THz QCLs is higher than that of THz QCLs at free-running operation, and mutual injection may introduce additional modulation peaks in the noise spectrum. The modulation response of the mutual-injected THz QCLs to an individual modulation is investigated. It is found that the modulation bandwidth and the phase difference are significantly dependent on the modulation parameters. These results are helpful for further understanding the nonlinear dynamic behaviors of THz QCLs under optical injection and provide theoretical support for the development of THz QCL phase-locked arrays.

High-performance infrared thermal imaging devices are widely used in military, biomedical and other fields. Upconversion pixel-less imaging is promising for infrared imaging. In this paper, we propose a hybrid metasurface to achieve high upconversion efficiency of the integrated quantum well infrared photodetector and light-emitting diodes (QWIP-LED). Systematical investigations on the performance of the QWIP-LED, including optical coupling efficiency, light extraction efficiency, and upconversion efficiency, have been carried out via theoretical simulation. We also present the integration time for different devices with different optical coupling structures. Numerical results show that 45° edge-coupled QWIP-LED is not suitable for imaging applications for the low upconversion efficiency. Traditional grating-coupled QWIP-LED can be optimized for real-time thermal imaging. The hybrid-metasurface-based QWIP-LED can achieve a high frame rate above 300 Hz due to the enhanced upconversion efficiency. This work gives a precise description of QWIP-LED performance with different device structures and opens the way for large format upconversion pixel-less imaging.