| Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) is a compact room temperature (RT) source of mid-infrared radiation, which can be used for spectroscopic detection of trace amount of chemicals. The mid-infrared spectral range between (3-11 microm), has a dense array of absorption lines of numerous molecules, due to the presence of fundamental vibrational modes. The goal of this thesis can be subdivided into two parts.;Firstly, short wavelength QCLs, emitting below 4microm, perform poorly at RT, due to inter-valley Gamma --- L carrier scattering, carrier escape to the continuum, heat removal from the core region at high power density corresponding to short wavelength operation, and large interface scattering due to highly strained materials.;Secondly, it is desirable to have a single QCL based source emitting between 6-10microm, which be used to detect multiple molecules having their peak absorptions far apart, inside this spectral range. However, gain bandwidth of a single core QCL is relatively small, so laser emission cannot be tuned over a wide spectral range.;This thesis describes the working principle of a QCL based on superlattice transport, rate equations, scattering mechanism, and waveguide design. The choice of the material system for this work and the fundamentals of band structure engineering has been derived. Gas source molecular beam epitaxy - growth optimization and characterization is one of the most important features of this work, especially for short wavelength QCLs, and has been explained in depth. Different strategies for design of active region design of short wavelength QCL and heterogeneous broadband QCL has been explored.;The major milestones, of this research was the world's first watt level continuous wave (CW), RT demonstration at 3.76 microm, which was followed by another milestone of the first CW, RT demonstration at 3.39microm and 3.55microm, and finally the elusive result of QCL emitting at CW, RT at a wavelength as short as lambda ~3microm, a record.;In the longer wavelength side a novel approach to design of strain balanced QCLs based on the same material composition was demonstrated. Finally a gapless heterogeneous broadband QCL, incorporating multiple QCL cores in a single active region, with record tunability between 6.1-10.2 microm, was demonstrated. |
