Voltage Tunability of Quantum Cascade Lasers

The voltage tunability of three types of quantum cascade laser designs is investigated. The tuning coefficients and tuning ranges of electroluminescence and laser emission from all designs are measured and compared with the calculated results. A reduced tunability was observed in all lasers above threshold. This is attributed to the decrease of resistance across the laser active region (AR) as the photon density increases. A resumed tunability high above threshold occurs in all lasers with anticrossed injector ground and upper laser states. Lasers based on the anticrossed diagonal transition are tunable above threshold, with a tuning range of about 30 ${\hbox {cm}}^{-1}$ ($\sim$ 3% of the laser emission wavenumber), i.e., a tuning rate of 750 ${\hbox {cm}}^{-1} \hbox{V}^{-1}\cdot \hbox{period}^{-1}$ of the AR and the injector.