Investigation into the InAs/GaAs quantum dot material epitaxially grown on silicon for O band lasers

InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) lasers were grown on silicon substrates using a thin Ge buffer and three-step growth method in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. In addition, strained superlattices were used to prevent threading dislocations from propagating to the active region of the laser. The as-grown material quality was characterized by the transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results show that a high-quality GaAs buffer with few dislocations was obtained by the growth scheme we developed. A broad-area edge-emitting laser was also fabricated. The O-band laser exhibited a threshold current density of 540 A/cm2 at room temperature under continuous wave conditions. This work demonstrates the potential of large-scale and low-cost manufacturing of the O-band InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers on silicon substrates.

Magneto- and electrophosphene thresholds in the retina: a dosimetry modeling study

Objective: Sensations of flickering light produced by time-varying magnetic fields or electric currents are called magneto- or electrophosphenes. Phosphene thresholds have been used in international guidelines and standards as an estimate of the thresholds of exposure that produce effects in the central nervous system. However, the estimated threshold values have a large range of uncertainty. Approach: Phosphene thresholds were approximated by simulating five phosphene threshold experiments. Retinal electric fields and currents induced by electric and magnetic stimulation were calculated using the finite element method and 14 anatomically realistic computational models of human heads. Main results: The radial component of retinal current density was determined to be in the range of 6.0~--~20.6~mA/m$^2$. This study produces more accurate estimates for threshold current density in the retina using detailed anatomical models and the estimates had a reduced range of uncertainty compared to earlier studies. Significance: The results are useful for studying the mechanisms of retinal phosphenes and for the development of exposure limits for the central nervous system.

In-Depth Experimental Analysis of Influence of Electroplated Gold Thickness on Thermal and Electro-Optical Properties of mid-IR AlInAs/InGaAs/InP Quantum Cascade Lasers

In this paper, we have examined the influence of electroplated gold thickness on the thermal and electro-optical properties of mid-IR AlInAs/InGaAs, InP QCLs. The experimental results show a significant reduction of the temperature of QCL active region (AR) with increasing gold layer thickness. For QCLs with 5.0 μm gold thickness, we observed a 50% reduction of the active region temperature. An improvement of key electro-optical parameters, that is, threshold current density and maximum emitted power for structures with thick gold, was observed. The results of micro-Raman characterization show that the electroplated gold layer introduces only moderate compressive strain in top InP cladding, which is well below the critical value for the creation of misfit dislocations.

Threshold increase and lasing inhibition due to hexagonal-pyramid-shaped hillocks in AlGaN-based DUV laser diodes on single-crystal AlN substrate

The presence of hexagonal-pyramid-shaped hillocks (HPHs) in AlGaN epitaxial films affects device character- istics; this effect is significant in DUV laser diodes (LDs) on AlN substrates, where the presence of HPHs under the p-electrode increases the threshold current density and inhibits the lasing. In this study, we investigated the difference between the lasing characteristics of LDs with and without HPHs. It was found that in the presence of HPHs, the threshold excitation power density increased and the slope efficiency decreased by optical excitation. To investigate the cause of these phenomena, we performed structural, optical, and electrical analyses of the HPHs. Various imaging techniques were used to directly capture the characteristics of the HPHs. As a result, we concluded that HPHs cause the degradation of LD characteristics due to a combination of structural, optical, and electrical factors.

High power λ ~ 8.5 μm quantum cascade laser grown by MOCVD operating continuous-wave up to 408 K

Robust quantum cascade laser (QCL) enduring high temperature continuous-wave (CW) operation is of critical importance for some applications. We report on the realization of lattice-matched InGaAs/InAlAs/InP QCL materials grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). High interface quality structures designed for light emission at 8.5 μm are achieved by optimizing and precise controlling of growth conditions. A CW output power of 1.04 W at 288 K was obtained from a 4 mm-long and 10 μm-wide coated laser. Corresponding maximum wall-plug efficiency and threshold current density were 7.1% and 1.18 kA/cm2, respectively. The device can operate in CW mode up to 408 K with an output power of 160 mW.

Investigation of the Optimum Mg Doping Concentration in p-Type-Doped Layers of InGaN Blue Laser Diode Structures

In GaN-based laser diode (LD) structures, Mg doping in p-type-doped layers has a significant influence on the device performance. As the doping concentration increases, the operation voltage decreases, whereas the output power decreases as a result of increased optical absorption, implying that optimization of the Mg doping concentration is required. In this study, we systematically investigated the effect of the Mg doping concentration in the AlGaN electron-blocking layer (EBL) and the AlGaN p-cladding layer on the output power, forward voltage, and wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of InGaN blue LD structures using numerical simulations. In the optimization of the EBL, an Al composition of 20% and an Mg doping concentration of 3 × 1019 cm−3 exhibited the best performance, with negligible electron leakage and a high WPE. The optimum Mg concentration of the p-AlGaN cladding layer was found to be ~1.5 × 1019 cm−3, where the maximum WPE of 38.6% was obtained for a blue LD with a threshold current density of 1 kA/cm2 and a slope efficiency of 2.1 W/A.

THz Quantum Cascade Laser Operating Frequency Comb Over Near-full-current Dynamic Range

We report a terahertz quantum cascade laser frequency comb (THz QCL FC) with low threshold current density, high power, and wide current dynamic range. The active region design with the semi-insulated surface plasma waveguide is beneficial to optimize the gain dispersion value and temperature stability. At 10K, the comb with 3-mm-long and 150-µm-wide is capable of emitting 22mW with the threshold current density Jth = 64.4 A·cm−2. The total spectral emission is of about 300 GHz centered around 4.6 THz. Without any extra dispersion compensation measures, the intermode beatnote map reveals stable frequency comb operating within a current dynamic range more than 97% and the narrowest beatnote linewidth is 7.2 kHz. The stable FC operation of a free-running THz QCL makes our device an ideal source for further development of dual-comb spectroscopy.

Local and global energy barriers for chiral domain walls in synthetic antiferromagnet-ferromagnet lateral junctions

The current induced manipulation of chiral spin textures is of great interest for both fundamental research and technological applications1–3. Of particular interest are magnetic non-volatile memories formed from synthetic antiferromagnetic racetracks in which chiral composite domain walls (DWs), that act as data bits, can be efficiently moved by current4. However, overcoming the trade-off between energy efficiency, namely a low threshold current density to move the domain walls, and high thermal stability, remains a major challenge for the development of integrated chips with high reliability and low power consumption. Here we show that chiral DWs5–7 in a synthetic antiferromagnet-ferromagnet lateral junction, formed by local plasma oxidation, are highly stable against large magnetic fields whilst the DWs can be efficiently moved across the junction by current. Our approach takes advantage of the locality of current-driven torque on the small volume of a chiral DW and the globality of field-torque in the energy landscape, thereby leading to fundamentally distinct energy barriers for motion and stability. We find that the threshold current can be further decreased by tilting the junction across the racetrack while not affecting the high DW stability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that chiral DWs can be robustly confined within a ferromagnet region sandwiched on both their sides by synthetic antiferromagnets and yet can be readily injected into these regions by current. Our findings break the aforementioned trade-off between efficiency and stability, allowing for diverse and versatile DW-based memory, and logic, and beyond.

Local Acidification Limits the Current Production and Biofilm Formation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 With Electrospun Anodes

The anodic current production of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is typically lower compared to other electroactive bacteria. The main reason for the low current densities is the poor biofilm growth on most anode materials. We demonstrate that the high current production of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with electrospun anodes exhibits a similar threshold current density as dense Geobacter spp biofilms. The threshold current density is a result of local acidification in the biofilm. Increasing buffer concentration from 10 to 40 mM results in a 1.8-fold increase of the current density [(590 ± 25) μA cm−2] while biofilm growth stimulation by riboflavin has little effect on the current production. The current production of a reference material below the threshold did not respond to the increased buffer concentration but could be enhanced by supplemented riboflavin that stimulated the biofilm growth. Our results suggest that the current production with S. oneidensis is limited (1) by the biofilm growth on the anode that can be enhanced by the choice of the electrode material, and (2) by the proton transport through the biofilm and the associated local acidification.

Energy-efficient ultrafast nucleation of single and multiple antiferromagnetic skyrmions using in-plane spin polarized current

We numerically investigate the ultrafast nucleation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmion using in-plane spin-polarized current and present its key advantages over out-of-plane spin-polarized current. We show that the threshold current density required for the creation of AFM skyrmion is almost an order of magnitude lower for the in-plane spin-polarized current. The nucleation time for the AFM skyrmion is found to be $$12-7$$ 12 - 7 ps for the corresponding current density of 1–$$3\times 10^{13}~\text{A/m}^{2}$$ 3 × 10 13 A/m 2 . We also demonstrate ultrafast nucleation of multiple AFM skyrmions that is possible only with in-plane spin polarized current and discuss how the current pulse width can be used to control the number of AFM skyrmions. The results show more than one order of magnitude improvement in energy consumption for ultrafast nucleation of AFM skyrmions using in-plane spin-polarized current, which is promising for applications such as logic gates, racetrack memory, and neuromorphic computing.