Relative phase locking of a terahertz laser system configured with a frequency comb and a single-mode laser

Wen Guan; Ziping Li; Shumin Wu; Han Liu; Xuhong Ma; Yiran Zhao; Chenjie Wang; Binbin Liu; Zhenzhen Zhang; Juncheng Cao; Hua Li

doi:10.1117/1.APN.2.2.026006

[1] T. Udem, R. Holzwarth, T. W. Hänsch. Optical frequency metrology. Nature, 416, 233-237(2002).

[2] S. A. Diddams. The evolving optical frequency comb. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 27, B51-B62(2010).

[3] J. Faist et al. Quantum cascade laser frequency combs. Nanophotonics, 5, 272-291(2016).

[4] Q. Lu et al. Room temperature terahertz semiconductor frequency comb. Nat. Commun., 10, 2403(2019).

[5] P. Trocha et al. Ultrafast optical ranging using microresonator soliton frequency combs. Science, 359, 887-891(2018).

[6] N. Picqué, T. W. Hänsch. Frequency comb spectroscopy. Nat. Photonics, 13, 146-157(2019).

[7] J. Lin et al. High-quality frequency-locked optical frequency comb source for terabits optical communication system. Opt. Eng., 53, 122608(2014).

[8] H. G. Winful, S. Wang. Stability of phase locking in coupled semiconductor laser arrays. Appl. Phys. Lett., 53, 1894-1896(1988).

[9] X. Wang et al. Frequency noise suppression of optical injection-locked quantum cascade lasers. Opt. Express, 26, 15167-15176(2018).

[10] B. Zhao, X. Wang, C. Wang. Strong optical feedback stabilized quantum cascade laser. ACS Photonics, 7, 1255-1261(2020).

[11] P. H. Siegel. Terahertz technology. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., 50, 910-928(2002).

[12] M. Tonouchi. Cutting-edge terahertz technology. Nat. Photonics, 1, 97-105(2007).

[13] X. C. Zhang, J. Xu. Introduction to THz Wave Photonics(2010).

[14] T. Globus et al. THz-spectroscopy of biological molecules. J. Biol. Phys., 29, 89-100(2003).

[15] T. Yasui et al. Terahertz frequency metrology based on frequency comb. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron., 17, 191-201(2011).

[16] S. Koenig et al. Wireless sub-THz communication system with high data rate. Nat. Photonics, 7, 977-981(2013).

[17] Q. Deng et al. High-resolution terahertz inline digital holography based on quantum cascade laser. Opt. Eng., 56, 113102(2017).

[18] H. Li et al. Toward compact and real-time terahertz dual-comb spectroscopy employing a self-detection scheme. ACS Photonics, 7, 49-56(2020).

[19] X. Wang et al. High-power terahertz quantum cascade lasers with 0.23 W in continuous wave mode. AIP Adv., 6, 075210(2016).

[20] G. Scalari et al. THz and sub-THz quantum cascade lasers. Laser Photonics Rev., 3, 45-66(2009).

[21] L. Li et al. High-power GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers with emission in the frequency range 4.7–5.6 THz(2016).

[22] L. Bosco et al. Thermoelectrically cooled THz quantum cascade laser operating up to 210 K. Appl. Phys. Lett., 115, 010601(2019).

[23] M. A. Kainz et al. Thermoelectric-cooled terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Opt. Express, 27, 20688-20693(2019).

[24] A. Khalatpour et al. High-power portable terahertz laser systems. Nat. Photonics, 15, 16-20(2021).

[25] W. Wan, H. Li, J. Cao. Homogeneous spectral broadening of pulsed terahertz quantum cascade lasers by radio frequency modulation. Opt. Express, 26, 980-989(2018).

[26] J. Pérez-Urquizo et al. Monolithic patch-antenna THz lasers with extremely low beam divergence and polarization control. ACS Photonics, 8, 412-417(2021).

[27] M. S. Vitiello et al. Quantum-limited frequency fluctuations in a terahertz laser. Nat. Photonics, 6, 525-528(2012).

[28] H. Li. Semiconductor-based terahertz frequency combs. J. Semicond., 40, 050402(2019).

[29] M. S. Vitiello et al. Toward new frontiers for terahertz quantum cascade laser frequency combs. Nanophotonics, 10, 187-194(2021).

[30] A. A. Danylov et al. Frequency stabilization of a single mode terahertz quantum cascade laser to the kilohertz level. Opt. Express, 17, 7525-7532(2009).

[31] J. R. Freeman et al. Injection locking of a terahertz quantum cascade laser to a telecommunications wavelength frequency comb. Optica, 4, 1059-1064(2017).

[32] H. Richter et al. Submegahertz frequency stabilization of a terahertz quantum cascade laser to a molecular absorption line. Appl. Phys. Lett., 96, 071112(2010).

[33] S. Barbieri et al. Phase-locking of a 2.7-THz quantum cascade laser to a mode-locked erbium-doped fibre laser. Nat. Photonics, 4, 636-640(2010).

[34] M. Ravaro et al. Phase-locking of a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser to a frequency comb using a gaas photomixer. Opt. Lett., 36, 3969-3971(2011).

[35] Y. Ren et al. Frequency locking of single-mode 3.5-THz quantum cascade lasers using a gas cell. Appl. Phys. Lett., 100, 041111(2012).

[36] L. Consolino et al. Phase-locking to a free-space terahertz comb for metrological-grade terahertz lasers. Nat. Commun., 3, 1040(2012).

[37] A. A. Danylov et al. 2.32 THz quantum cascade laser frequency-locked to the harmonic of a microwave synthesizer source. Opt. Express, 20, 27908-27914(2012).

[38] D. Hayton et al. Phase locking of a 3.4 THz third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser using a room-temperature superlattice harmonic mixer. Appl. Phys. Lett., 103, 051115(2013).

[39] A. Khudchenko et al. Phase locking a 4.7 THz quantum cascade laser using a super-lattice diode as harmonic mixer, 1-2(2014).

[40] S. Bartalini et al. Frequency-comb-assisted terahertz quantum cascade laser spectroscopy. Phys. Rev. X, 4, 021006(2014).

[41] B. Bulcha et al. Phase locking of a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser to a microwave reference using THz Schottky mixer, 1-2(2015).

[42] A. Danylov et al. Phase locking of 2.324 and 2.959 terahertz quantum cascade lasers using a Schottky diode harmonic mixer. Opt. Lett., 40, 5090-5092(2015).

[43] D. Burghoff et al. Terahertz laser frequency combs. Nat. Photonics, 8, 462-467(2014).

[44] Y. Zhao et al. Active stabilization of terahertz semiconductor dual-comb laser sources employing a phase locking technique. Laser Photonics Rev., 15, 2000498(2021).

[45] D. Oustinov et al. Phase seeding of a terahertz quantum cascade laser. Nat. Commun., 1, 69(2010).

[46] S. Barbieri et al. Coherent sampling of active mode-locked terahertz quantum cascade lasers and frequency synthesis. Nat. Photonics, 5, 306-313(2011).

[47] H. Li et al. Graphene-coupled terahertz semiconductor lasers for enhanced passive frequency comb operation. Adv. Sci., 6, 1900460(2019).

[48] W. Guan et al. Repetition frequency locking of a terahertz quantum cascade laser emitting at 4.2 THz. Terahertz Sci. Technol., 13, 32-40(2020).

[49] A. Forrer et al. Photon-driven broadband emission and frequency comb rf injection locking in THz quantum cascade lasers. ACS Photonics, 7, 784-791(2020).

[50] L. Consolino et al. Fully phase-stabilized quantum cascade laser frequency comb. Nat. Commun., 10, 2938(2019).

[51] M. S. Vitiello, P. D. Natale. Terahertz quantum cascade lasers as enabling quantum technology. Adv. Quantum Technol., 5, 2100082(2022).

[52] W. Guan et al. Frequency tuning behaviour of terahertz quantum cascade lasers revealed by a laser beating scheme. Opt. Express, 29, 21269-21279(2021).

[53] M. Wienold et al. Low-threshold terahertz quantum-cascade lasers based on GaAs/Al0.25Ga0.75As heterostructures. Appl. Phys. Lett., 97, 071113(2010).

[54] W. Wan et al. Homogeneous spectral spanning of terahertz semiconductor lasers with radio frequency modulation. Sci. Rep., 7, 44109(2017).

[55] K. Zhou et al. Ridge width effect on comb operation in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Appl. Phys. Lett., 114, 191106(2019).

[56] P. Micheletti et al. Regenerative terahertz quantum detectors. APL Photonics, 6, 106102(2021).

[57] X. Liao et al. Broadband terahertz quantum cascade laser dual-comb sources under off-resonant microwave injection. Adv. Photonics Res., 3, 2100361(2022).