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This study investigates the potential of long-wave infrared (LWIR) free-space optical (FSO) transmission using multilevel signals to achieve high spectral efficiency. The FSO transmission system includes a directly modulated-quantum cascade laser (DM-QCL) operating at 9.1 µm and a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. The laser operated at the temperature settings of 15°C and 20°C. The experiment was conducted over a distance of 1 m and in a lab as a controlled environment. We conduct small-signal characterization of the system, including the DM-QCL chip and MCT detector, evaluating the end-to-end response of both components and all associated electrical elements. For large-signal characterization, we employ a range of modulation formats, including non-return-to-zero on-off keying (NRZ-OOK), 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4), and 6-level PAM (PAM6), with the objective of optimizing both the bit rate and spectral efficiency of the FSO transmission by applying pre- and post-processing equalization. At 15°C, the studied LWIR FSO system achieves net bitrates of 15 Gbps with an NRZ-OOK signal and 16.9 Gbps with PAM4, both below the 6.25% overhead hard decision-forward error correction (6.25%-OH HD-FEC) limit, and 10 Gbps NRZ-OOK below the 2.7% overhead Reed-Solomon RS(528,514) pre-FEC (KR-FEC limit). At 20°C, we obtained net bitrates of 14.1 Gbps with NRZ-OOK, 16.9 Gbps with PAM4, and 16.4 Gbps with PAM6. Furthermore, we evaluate the BER performance as a function of the decision feedback equalization (DFE) tap number to explore the role of equalization in enhancing signal fidelity and reducing errors in FSO transmission. Our findings accentuate the competitive potential of DM-QCL and MCT detector-based FSO transceivers with digital equalization for the next generation of FSO communication systems., Horizon 2020 Framework Programme cFLOW project (828893); Vetenskapsr\u00E5det (2019-05197); Project \u2019BRAIN\u2019 (2022-04798); EU COST Action CA19111 NEWFOCUS; The LZP FLPP Project \u2019MIR-FAST\u2019 (lzp-2023-1-0503); The Strategic innovation program smarter electronic systems - a joint venture by Vinnona, Forms and the Swedish Energy Agency A-FRONTHAUL Project (2023-00659).

We summarize our recent experimental studies of free-space communications enabled by directly modulated quantum cascade lasers at both MWIR and LWIR regions. Different detector types with different characteristics are compared., QC 20240612

Distributed-MIMO (D-MIMO) is a prospective solution for next-generation mobile networks to increase capacity and coverage. We experimentally validate 1024-QAM coherent joint transmissions in a two transmitter D-MIMO network including radio-over-LWIR FSO fronthaul links facilitating deployment and achieving diversity and power gains close to theoretical values., Part of ISBN 979-8-3503-1261-4QC 20240209

This study explores the potential of long-wave infrared free-space optical (FSO) transmission that leverages multilevel signals to attain high spectral efficiency. The FSO transmission system consists of a directly modulated-quantum cascade laser (DM-QCL) operating at 9.15 mu m and a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. To fully understand the system, we conduct measurements on the DM-QCL chip and MCT detector and assess the overall amplitude response of the DM-QCL, MCT detector, and all electrical components. We apply various signals, including on-off keying (OOK), 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4), 6-level PAM (PAM6), and 8-level PAM (PAM8) to maximize the bit rate and spectral efficiency of the FSO transmission. Through a two-dimensional sweeping of the laser bias current and MCT detector photovoltage, we optimize the transmission performance. At the optimal operation point, the FSO system achieved impressive results which are up to 6 Gbaud OOK, 3.5 Gbaud PAM4, 3 Gbaud PAM6, and 2.7 Gbaud PAM8 signal transmissions, with a bit error rate performance below 6.25% overhead hard decision-forward error correction limit when the DM-QCL operates at 10 degrees C. We also evaluate the eye diagrams and stability of the system to showcase its remarkable transmission performance. Our findings suggest that the DM-QCL and MCT detector-based FSO transceivers offer a highly competitive solution for the next generation of optical wireless communication systems., QC 20231115

Terahertz quantum cascade laser sources based on intra-cavity Cherenkov difference-frequency generation in dual-wavelength mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers are currently the only monolithic semiconductor laser technology that can deliver continuous-wave coherent terahertz output at room temperature. Because the Cherenkov difference-frequency generation process enables terahertz radiation generation and extraction across a wide range of frequencies, it is often assumed that phase-matching conditions for this process are automatically fulfilled. We theoretically analyze and experimentally demonstrate that phase-matching plays an important role in these devices, and significant improvements in terahertz power output can be achieved by adjusting the waveguide configuration of the quantum cascade lasers to provide better phase-matching., QC 20231013

Buried heterostructure quantum cascade lasers (BH-QCLs) operating at high temperature in mid-infrared (MIR) to THz spectral range are desired for chemical sensing and free-space optical communication (FOC). In this work, Fe doped semi-insulating InP (SI-InP) regrowth is demonstrated in a hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) reactor for advanced MIR and THz BH-QCLs grown by MBE and MOCVD. SI-InP regrowth is implemented in THz QCL pillar arrays and narrow width and reverse-taper MIR BH-QCLs for efficient heat dissipation. By exploiting SI-InP regrowth, the parasitic capacitance in MIR distributed feedback BH-QCL can be suppressed, which is exploited for high speed FOC application., Part of ISBN 9781510659858QC 20231030

We experimentally demonstrate a Long-Wave IR FSO link with a 9.15-hm directly modulated quantum cascade laser at room temperature. Up to 8.1 Gb/s PAM8 transmission over 1.4 meter is achieved with a wideband MCT detector., QC 20230810

GaAsP/Si with high crystalline quality fabricated by cost-effective heteroepitaxial technology is a promising pathway for realizing low-cost Si-based tandem solar cell with efficiency higher than 30%. Herein, hydride vapor-phase epitaxy is used to perform selective area growth of GaAsP with high lateral coverage, referred to as epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG). The ELOG is performed on GaAs-based substrates as a prestudy, followed by GaAs/Si and GaAsP/Si seed wafers employing chemical mechanical polishing to fabricate full 2 00 GaAsP/Si templates. These are subsequently used to grow and process GaAsP/Si pn-junction structures for electrical characterization. The ELOG GaAsP is studied by spatially resolved photoluminescence (PL) mapping and high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. PL analysis of the GaAsP/GaAs ELOG samples reveals an enhanced P-incorporation during lateral growth of GaAsP. This is also observed for the GaAsP/Si ELOG templates along with evidence of improved material quality, clearly distinguishing the laterally grown GaAsP from the planar growth directly above the Si substrate. Leakage pathways causing reduced electrical performance of the ELOG GaAsP/Si pn-junction structures are identified., QC 20230607

High bitrate mid-infrared links using simple (NRZ) and multi-level (PAM-4) data coding schemes have been realized in the 8 pm to 14 pm atmospheric transparency window. The free space optics system is composed of unipolar quantum optoelectronic devices, namely a continuous wave quantum cascade laser, an external Stark-effect modulator and a quantum cascade detector, all operating at room-temperature. Pre- and post-processing are implemented to get enhanced bitrates, especially for PAM-4 where inter-symbol interference and noise are particularly detrimental to symbol demodulation. By exploiting these equalization procedures, our system, with a full frequency cutoff of 2 GHz, has reached transmission bitrates of 12 Gbit/s NRZ and 11 Gbit/s PAM-4 fulfilling the 6.25 % overhead hard-decision forward error correction threshold, limited only by the low signal-to-noise ratio of our detector., QC 20230626

Orientation-patterned gallium phosphide (OP-GaP) has been grown heteroepitaxially on OP gallium arsenide (GaAs) templates using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The effect of OP-GaAs template fabrication methods of epitaxial-inversion and wafer bonding on the heteroepitaxial OP-GaP growth has been investigated. OP-GaP layers with a growth rate of up to 35 mu m/h and excellent domain fidelity were obtained. The growth rate and the domain fidelity have been revealed/studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, we demonstrate that the crystalline quality of the individual domains, namely, the substrate-oriented domains (ODs) and the inverted domains (IDs), can be investigated by high-resolution x-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping (HRXRDRSM), which can also indicate the domain fidelity. Attempts to increase the growth rate and improve the domain fidelity by increasing the III and V group precursors resulted in either an increase in the growth rate in the OP-GaP layers grown on epitaxial inversion OP-GaAs template at the expense of the domain crystalline quality and fidelity or an improvement in the crystalline quality of the domains at the expense of the growth rate in the OP-GaP layers grown on wafer-bonded OP-GaAs templates. In the case of OP-GaP grown on OP-GaAs templates prepared by epitaxial inversion, the crystalline quality of the ODs is better than that of the IDs, but it shows that the quality of the inverted layer in the template influences the quality and fidelity of the grown domains. To the authors' knowledge, exploitation of HRXRDRSM studies on OP-GaP to establish the crystalline quality of its individual domains (ODs and IDs) is the first of its kind. OP-ZnSe grown on OP-GaAs templates has also been included in this study to further emphasize the potential of this method. We propose from this study that once the growth rate is optimized from SEM studies, HRXRDRSM analysis alone can be used to assess the structural quality and to i, QC 20230316

Since about one and half centuries ago, at the dawn of modern communications, the radio and the optics have been two separate electromagnetic spectrum regions to carry data. Differentiated by their generation/detection methods and propagation properties, the two paths have evolved almost independently until today. The optical technologies dominate the long-distance and high-speed terrestrial wireline communications through fiber-optic telecom systems, whereas the radio technologies have mainly dominated the short- to medium-range wireless scenarios. Now, these two separate counterparts are both facing a sign of saturation in their respective roadmap horizons, particularly in the segment of free-space communications. The optical technologies are extending into the mid-wave and long-wave infrared (MWIR and LWIR) regimes to achieve better propagation performance through the dynamic atmospheric channels. Radio technologies strive for higher frequencies like the millimeter-wave (MMW) and sub-terahertz (sub-THz) to gain broader bandwidth. The boundary between the two is becoming blurred and intercrossed. During the past few years, we witnessed technological breakthroughs in free-space transmission supporting very high data rates, many achieved with the assistance of photonics. This paper focuses on such photonics-assisted free-space communication technologies in both the lower and upper sides of the THz gap and provides a detailed review of recent research and development activities on some of the key enabling technologies. Our recent experimental demonstrations of high-speed free-space transmissions in both frequency regions are also presented as examples to show the system requirements for device characteristics and digital signal processing (DSP) performance., QC 20220614

Heteroepitaxial Zn-doped p-GaP was grown on (001) GaAs, (001) Si and (111) Si substrates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy for solar-driven photoelectrochemical applications of hydrogen generation by water splitting and CO2 reduction. Growth of GaP on Si was realized through the implementation of a low-temperature buffer layer, and the morphology and crystalline quality were enhanced by optimizing the precursor flows and pre-heating ambient substrate. The p-GaP/GaAs and p-GaP/Si samples were processed to photoelectrodes with an amorphous TiO2 coating for CO2 reduction and a combination of TiO2 layer and mesoporous tungsten phosphide catalyst for water splitting. P-GaP/GaAs with suitable Zn-doping concentration exhibited photoelectrochemical performance comparable to homoepitaxial p-GaP/GaP for water splitting and CO2 reduction. Degradation of photocurrent in p-GaP/Si photoelectrodes is observed in PEC water splitting due to the high density of defects arising from heteroepitaxial growth., QC 20230124

We present a reverse-taper quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 4.6 mu m, a novel-geometry device that can scale the output power while maintaining good beam quality. Buried-ridge waveguides with tapered and straight regions were formed by ICP etching and HVPE regrowth - the tapered region scales the output power, while the emitting facet is located at the narrow-end taper section, which provides mode filtering by suppressing high-order spatial modes. Beam profiles were observed under quasi-continuous-wave (QCW)/CW operation and beam quality (M-2) measurements along with beam-stability measurements were performed - a small degree of collimated-beam centroid movement (<0.46 mrad, peak-to-peak) was observed, along with M-2 values close to 1 up to similar to 1 W QCW power. Devices of shorter cavity lengths were also investigated, indicating that the output power scales with the core-region volume but results in a small increase in angular deviation., QC 20220506

Record 11 Gb/s LWIR FSO transmission is demonstrated with a 9.6-mu m directly-modulated QCL and a fully passive QCD without cooling, surpassing the previous bitrate record of DM-QCL-based FSO in this spectral window by 4 times., QC 20220812Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-155752466-9

A roadmap for future wireless communications is expected to exploit all transmission-suitable spectrum bands, from the microwave to the optical frequencies, to support orders of magnitude faster data transfer with much lower latency than the deployed solutions nowadays. The currently under-exploited mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum is an essential building block for such an envisioned all-spectra wireless communication paradigm. Free-space optical (FSO) communications in the mid-IR region have recently attracted great interest due to their intrinsic merits of low propagation lass and high tolerance of atmospheric perturbations. Future development of viable mid-IR FSO transceivers requires a semiconductor source to fulfill the high bandwidth, low energy consumption, and small footprint requirements. In this context, quantum cascade laser (QCL) appears as a promising technological choice. In this work, we present an experimental demonstration of a mid-IR FSO link enabled by a 4.65-mu m directly modulated (DM) QCL operating at room temperature. We achieve a transmission data rate of up to 6 Gbps over a 0.5-m link distance. This achievement is enabled by system-level characterization and optimization of transmitter and receiver power level and frequency response and assisted with advanced modulation and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. This work pushes the QCL-based FSO technology one step closer to practical terrestrial applications, such as the fixed wireless access and the wireless mobile backhaul. Such a QCL-based solution offers a promising way towards the futuristic all-spectra wireless communication paradigm by potentially supporting the whole spectrum from the MIR to the terahertz (THz)., QC 20220429

Transition metal phosphates (TMPs) are regarded as efficient co-catalysts for photoanodes, but they are rarely applied in hydrogen production reactions. In this work, iron phosphate (FePi), a co-catalyst for hydrogen production, is introduced onto the Fe2O3 surface by facile surface phosphorization under low-temperature conditions. The surface FePi leads to a shift of the onset potential by +201 mV and an increase in the photocurrent density by more than 10 mA cm−2 at 0 VRHE for the Fe2O3/p-Si photocathode in a strong alkaline electrolyte. The role of FePi stems from the smaller transfer resistance, efficient photogenerated carrier separation and electron injection, and preferable H* adsorption energy, as suggested by Kelvin probe force microscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The surface phosphorization presents a facile and attractive strategy for the treatment of transition metal oxide catalyzed photocathodes for green hydrogen production., QC 20230516

High crystal quality GaAsP/Si fabricated by cost effective heteroepitaxial technology is promising to realize low-cost Si based tandem solar cell with efficiency higher than 30%. In this work, epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG) of GaAsP/GaAs and GaAsP/GaAs/Si by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and their properties are studied by photoluminescence (PL) mapping. High crystal quality ELOG GaAsP/Si is obtained with enhanced PL intensity and narrow line width indicating reduced defect density provided by ELOG approach., QC 20230622

Record 11 Gb/s LWIR FSO transmission is demonstrated with a 9.6-µm directly-modulated QCL and a fully passive QCD without cooling, surpassing the previous bitrate record of DM-QCL-based FSO in this spectral window by 4 times., Part of ISBN 9781557528209QC 20230626

In this report, we summarize our recent achievements in free-space communications in the mid-infrared (MIR) region enabled by directly modulated quantum cascaded laser (QCL) at 4.65 mu m (similar to 65 THz). We have experimentally demonstrated a multigigabit free- space transmission link in the lab environment with the QCL operating at room temperature. The QCL chip is mounted on a commercial QCL mount with a water-cooled Peltier element. Multilevel modulation formats at different baud rates are generated and combined with the laser driving current at a custom-made bias-tee to drive and modulate the QCL. A commercial mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, HgCdTe) photovoltaic (PV) MIR detector with a built-in trans-impedance amplifier was used to receive the MIR free-space signal. With the receiver to be the bottleneck of the system bandwidth, the end-to-end 3-dB bandwidth was measured to be around 320 MHz, and the 6-dB bandwidth was around 450 MHz. We have successfully demonstrated up to 6 Gbps free space transmission with multilevel modulation formats, assisted with effective digital equalization techniques despite the limited bandwidth., QC 20220406

Direct heteroepitaxy and selective area growth (SAG) of GaP and GaAs on Si(100) and Si(111) are implemented by low-pressure hydride vapor phase epitaxy (LP-HVPE), which are facilitated by buffer layers grown at 410–490 °C with reactive gas mixing directly above Si substrates. High-density islands observed on GaP buffer layers on Si result in rough morphology and defect formation in the subsequent GaP layers grown at 715 °C. The impact of growth temperature of GaAs buffer layers on the crystal quality of GaAs/Si is studied. A decreased nucleation temperature significantly improves the morphology and crystalline quality of the overall GaAs growth on Si. It is observed that Si(111) substrates are favorable for both GaP and GaAs growths in comparison with Si(100). In SAGs of GaP/Si and GaAs/Si, the high selectivity innate to HVPE is maintained in the used unconventional growth regime. The spatially resolved photoluminescence mapping reveals the material quality of GaAs/Si is enhanced by defect filtering by SAG. The outcomes of this work will pave the way of III–V/Si integration realized by cost-effective HVPE for photonic device applications., QC 20210323

Measurements of beam stability for mid-infrared (IR)-emitting quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are important for applications that require the beam to travel through air to remote targets, such as free-space communication links. We report beam-quality measurement results of narrow-ridge, 4.6 mu m-emitting buried-heterostructure (BH) QCLs fabricated using ICP etching and HVPE regrowth. Beam-quality measurements under QCW operation exhibit M-2 < 1.2 up to 1 W for similar to 5 mu m-wide ridges. 5 mu m-wide devices display some small degree of centroid motion with increasing output power (< 0.125 mrad), which corresponds to a targeting error of similar to 1.25 cm over a distance of 100 m., QC 20210217

We report our recent studies in photonics-assisted free-space transmissions in both the lower (0.3-0.5 THz) and upper- (similar to 64.5 THz) terahertz bands. We adopt the hybrid electro-optical approach for the lower-THz signal transmission, whereas a directly modulated quantum cascade laser is used for the upper-THz band., Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-1-6654-3868-1QC 20220810

We report on an experimental demonstration of a mid-infrared free-space communication link enabled by a directly modulated quantum cascade laser operating at room temperature. A record high transmission rate up to 6 Gbps over 50-cm link distance is demonstrated at 4.65 mu m wavelength., QC 20220811Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-1-6654-3868-1