Stimulated emission in 24-31 mu m range and "Reststrahlen" waveguide in HgCdTe structures grown on GaAs

Long-wavelength stimulated emission (SE) is studied in optically pumped HgCdTe quantum well heterostructures with dielectric waveguides. Continuous temperature tuning of the wavelength from 27 to 18 mu m is achieved in structures with optimized waveguides. Above 27 mu m, SE clamps at 31 mu m wavelength, where mode leaking is reduced due to the Reststrahlen effect in the GaAs substrate. The operating temperature is mainly limited by the activation of Auger recombination in quasi-equilibrium conditions, while at low temperatures, we expect that lowering initial carrier heating would enhance the gain considerably. We conclude that exploiting the Reststrahlen effect should allow one to achieve continuous wavelength tuning around 30 pm and operating wavelengths up to 40 mu m with technologically attainable epistructure thickness. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.