Continuously tunable coherent pulse generation in a semiconductor laser

Schawlow, A. L. & Townes, C. H. Infrared and optical masers. Phys. Rev. 112, 1940–1949 (1958).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Maiman, T. Stimulated optical radiation in ruby. Nature 187, 493–494 (1960).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Siegman, A. E. Lasers (University Science Books, 1986).Ismail, N., Kores, C. C., Geskus, D. & Pollnau, M. Fabry–Pérot resonator: spectral line shapes, generic and related Airy distributions, linewidths, finesses, and performance at low or frequency-dependent reflectivity. Opt. Express 24, 16366–16389 (2016).Article  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Faist, J. et al. Quantum cascade laser. Science 264, 553–556 (1994).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Köhler, R. et al. Terahertz semiconductor-heterostructure laser. Nature 417, 156–159 (2002).Article  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Senica, U. et al. Planarized THz quantum cascade lasers for broadband coherent photonics. Light Sci. Appl. 11, 347 (2022).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar  Maineult, W. et al. Microwave modulation of terahertz quantum cascade lasers: a transmission-line approach. Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 021108 (2010).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Jirauschek, C. Theory of hybrid microwave–photonic quantum devices. Laser Photonics Rev. 17, 2300461 (2023).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Kuizenga, D. & Siegman, A. FM and AM mode locking of the homogeneous laser-Part I: Theory. IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 6, 694–708 (1970).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Haus, H. A theory of forced mode locking. IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 11, 323–330 (1975).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Perego, A. M. et al. Coherent master equation for laser modelocking. Nat. Commun. 11, 311 (2020).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar  Bowers, J. E., Morton, P. A., Mar, A. & Corzine, S. W. Actively mode-locked semiconductor lasers. IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 25, 1426–1439 (2002).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Boyd, R. W. Slow and fast light: fundamentals and applications. J. Mod. Opt. 56, 1908–1915 (2009).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Udem, T., Holzwarth, R. & Hänsch, T. W. Optical frequency metrology. Nature 416, 233–237 (2002).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Diddams, S. A., Vahala, K. & Udem, T. Optical frequency combs: coherently uniting the electromagnetic spectrum. Science 369, 267 (2020).Article  Google Scholar  Kärtner, F. X., Zumbühl, D. M. & Matuschek, N. Turbulence in mode-locked lasers. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4428–4431 (1999).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Picqué, N. & Hänsch, T. W. Frequency comb spectroscopy. Nat. Photon. 13, 146 (2019).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Coddington, I., Newbury, N. & Swann, W. Dual-comb spectroscopy. Optica 3, 414–426 (2016).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Hugi, A., Villares, G., Blaser, S., Liu, H. & Faist, J. Mid-infrared frequency comb based on a quantum cascade laser. Nature 492, 229–233 (2012).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Burghoff, D. Unraveling the origin of frequency modulated combs using active cavity mean-field theory. Optica 7, 1781–1787 (2020).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Opačak, N. & Schwarz, B. Theory of frequency-modulated combs in lasers with spatial hole burning, dispersion, and Kerr nonlinearity. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 243902 (2019).Article  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Senica, U. et al. Frequency-modulated combs via field-enhancing tapered waveguides. Laser Photonics Rev. 17, 2300472 (2023).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Becker, M., Kuizenga, D. & Siegman, A. Harmonic mode locking of the Nd:YAG laser. IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 8, 687–693 (1972).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Herr, T. et al. Temporal solitons in optical microresonators. Nat. Photon. 8, 145–152 (2014).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Guo, Q. et al. Ultrafast mode-locked laser in nanophotonic lithium niobate. Science 382, 708–713 (2023).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Forrer, A. et al. Photon-driven broadband emission and frequency comb RF injection locking in THz quantum cascade lasers. ACS Photonics 7, 784–791 (2020).Article  CAS  Google Scholar  Yao, Y., Hoffman, A. J. & Gmachl, C. F. Mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. Nat. Photon. 6, 432–439 (2012).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Burghoff, D. et al. Terahertz laser frequency combs. Nat. Photon. 8, 462–467 (2014).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Faist, J. et al. Quantum cascade laser frequency combs. Nanophotonics 5, 272–291 (2016).Article  Google Scholar  Barbieri, S. et al. 13 GHz direct modulation of terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 143510 (2007).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Marpaung, D., Yao, J. & Capmany, J. Integrated microwave photonics. Nat. Photon. 13, 80–90 (2019).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Han, Z., Ren, D. & Burghoff, D. Sensitivity of SWIFT spectroscopy. Opt. Express 28, 6002–6017 (2020).Article  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Hillbrand, J., Andrews, A. M., Detz, H., Strasser, G. & Schwarz, B. Coherent injection locking of quantum cascade laser frequency combs. Nat. Photon. 13, 101–104 (2019).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Schneider, B. et al. Controlling quantum cascade laser optical frequency combs through microwave injection. Laser Photonics Rev. 15, 2100242 (2021).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Silvestri, C., Columbo, L. L., Brambilla, M. & Gioannini, M. Coherent multi-mode dynamics in a quantum cascade laser: amplitude-and frequency-modulated optical frequency combs. Opt. Express 28, 23846–23861 (2020).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Cappelli, F., Villares, G., Riedi, S. & Faist, J. Intrinsic linewidth of quantum cascade laser frequency combs. Optica 2, 836–840 (2015).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Consolino, L. et al. Fully phase-stabilized quantum cascade laser frequency comb. Nat. Commun. 10, 2938 (2019).Article  ADS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar  Heckelmann, I., Pinto, D., Schmitt, U., Beck, M. & Faist, J. Fast and compact time-resolved spectroscopy enabled by quantum walk combs. Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.20112 (2025).Mroziewicz, B. External cavity wavelength tunable semiconductor lasers-a review. Optoelectron. Rev. 16, 347–366 (2008).ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Geng, Z. et al. Photonic integrated circuit implementation of a sub-GHz-selectivity frequency comb filter for optical clock multiplication. Opt. Express 25, 27635–27645 (2017).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Parriaux, A., Hammani, K. & Millot, G. Electro-optic frequency combs. Adv. Opt. Photonics 12, 223–287 (2020).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Haring, R. et al. High-power passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers. IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 38, 1268–1275 (2002).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Teng, C. C., Westberg, J. & Wysocki, G. Gapless tuning of quantum cascade laser frequency combs with external cavity optical feedback. Opt. Lett. 48, 363–366 (2023).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Kim, J. & Song, Y. Ultralow-noise mode-locked fiber lasers and frequency combs: principles, status, and applications. Adv. Opt. Photonics 8, 465–540 (2016).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Kippenberg, T. J., Holzwarth, R. & Diddams, S. A. Microresonator-based optical frequency combs. Science 332, 555–559 (2011).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Leindecker, N., Marandi, A., Byer, R. L. & Vodopyanov, K. L. Broadband degenerate OPO for mid-infrared frequency comb generation. Opt. Express 19, 6296–6302 (2011).Article  ADS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Wang, C. Y. et al. Mode-locked pulses from mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers. Opt. Express 17, 12929–12943 (2009).Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Rafailov, E. U., Cataluna, M. A. & Sibbett, W. Mode-locked quantum-dot lasers. Nat. Photon. 1, 395–401 (2007).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Marzban, B. et al. A quantum walk comb source at telecommunication wavelengths. Nat. Photon. 20, 370–376 (2026).Khalatpour, A. et al. Enhanced operating temperature in terahertz quantum cascade lasers based on direct phonon depopulation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 161101 (2023).Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Berthomieu, C. & Hienerwadel, R. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Photosynth. Res. 101, 157–170 (2009).Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Bozhkov, V. G. Semiconductor detectors, mixers, and frequency multipliers for the terahertz band. Radiophys. Quantum Electron. 46, 631–656 (2003).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Jirauschek, C., Riesch, M. & Tzenov, P. Optoelectronic device simulations based on macroscopic Maxwell–Bloch equations. Adv. Theory Simul. 2, 1900018 (2019).Article  Google Scholar  Risken, H. & Nummedal, K. Self-pulsing in lasers. J. Appl. Phys. 39, 4662–4672 (1968).Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Senica, U. et al. Plot datasets for “Continuously and widely tunable coherent pulse generation in semiconductor lasers”. figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30413005 (2026).

View Original Article