A wireless communication system with a maximum data rate of 100 Gbit s−1 over 20 m is demonstrated using a carrier frequency of 237.5 GHz. The photonic schemes used to generate the signal carrier and local oscillator are described, as is the fast photodetector used as a mixer for data extraction.

Wireless sub-THz communication system with high data rate

Infrared (2–12 μm) solid-state laser sources: a review

The wavelength range around 2 μm which is covered by the laser systems described in this chapter is part of the so called “eye safe” wavelength region which begins at about 1.4 μm. Laser systems that operate in this region offer exceptional advantages for free space applications compared to conventional systems that operate at shorter wavelengths. This gives them a great market potential for the use in LIDAR and gas sensing systems and for direct optical communication applications. The favourable absorption in water makes such lasers also very useful for medical applications. As it can be seen in figure 1, there is a strong absorption peak near 2 μm which reduces the penetration depth of this wavelength in tissue to a few hundred μm.

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2 µm Laser Sources and Their Possible Applications

This paper critically investigates the advantages and limitations of the current-transient methods used for the study of the deep levels in GaN-based high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), by evaluating how the procedures adopted for measurement and data analysis can influence the results of the investigation. The article is divided in two parts within Part I. 1) We analyze how the choice of the measurement and analysis parameters (such as the voltage levels used to induce the trapping phenomena and monitor the current transients, the duration of the filling pulses, and the method used for the extrapolation of the time constants of the capture/emission processes) can influence the results of the drain current transient investigation and can provide information on the location of the trap levels responsible for current collapse. 2) We present a database of defects described in more than 60 papers on GaN technology, which can be used to extract information on the nature and origin of the trap levels responsible for current collapse in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Within Part II, we investigate how self-heating can modify the results of drain current transient measurements on the basis of combined experimental activity and device simulation.

Deep-Level Characterization in GaN HEMTs-Part I: Advantages and Limitations of Drain Current Transient Measurements

We present an overview of solid-state integrated circuit amplifiers approaching terahertz frequencies based on the latest device technologies which have emerged in the past several years. Highlights include the best reported data from heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) circuits, high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) circuits, and metamorphic HEMT (mHEMT) amplifier circuits. We discuss packaging techniques for the various technologies in waveguide modules and describe the best reported noise figures measured in these technologies. A consequence of THz transistors, namely ultra-low-noise at cryogenic temperatures, will be explored and results presented. We also present a short review of power amplifier technologies for the THz regime. Finally, we discuss emerging materials for THz amplifiers into the next decade.

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An Overview of Solid-State Integrated Circuit Amplifiers in the Submillimeter-Wave and THz Regime

GaSb based diode laser arrays emitting at wavelengths around 2 μm have a significant potential for a variety of applications including material processing, such as welding of transparent plastic materials, and optical pumping of mid-infrared solid state lasers. Even though high output power broad area single emitters and laser arrays have already been demonstrated, they all suffer from a large fast axis beam divergence of typically 67° FWHM due to the broadened 
waveguide design employed. Here we will present results on (AlGaIn) (AsSb) quantum-well diode laser single emitters and linear arrays consisting of 19 emitters on a 1 cm long bar emitting at around 1.9 μm. To improve on the poor fast axis beam divergence we abandoned the broadened waveguide concept and changed over to a novel waveguide design which features a rather narrow waveguide core. This results in a remarkable reduction in fast axis beam divergence to 44° FWHM for the new waveguide design. For single emitters a cw output power of more than 1.9 W have been observed. 16.9 W in continuous-wave mode at a heat sink temperature of 20 °C have been achieved for arrays. The maximum wall-plug efficiency amounts to 26% both for the single emitters and the laser arrays. These efficiencies are among the highest values reported so far for GaSb based diode lasers, and allow us to use passively cooled and thus less expensive heat sinking technologies.

High-power diode laser arrays emitting at 2 μm with reduced far-field angle

High-power spatially single-mode diode lasers at 1.4 - 1.5 μm wavelength are of interest as pump lasers for Raman and rare-earth doped fiber amplifiers as well as for material processing and for Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) at eye-safe wavelengths. A cost-efficient way to realize high-power high-brightness devices is the tapered resonator concept.

We demonstrate InGaAsP/InP based diode lasers with compressively strained quantum wells and wavelengths around 1480 nm which were grown by solid source MBE. From broad area lasers with variations in quantum well number and waveguide layer thickness, parameters for the logarithmic gain model are deduced. With their implementation in 2-dimensional BPM simulations, an optimized resonator geometry is derived. Devices employ a 500 μm ridge section followed by a 2000 μm taper section with 6° angle. Continuous-wave (cw) output powers reach more than 1.5 W. Beam quality is characterized in terms of near field and far field distribution, M2, and astigmatism. An excellent agreement is found between measurement and simulation. 
For narrow-linewidth operation, devices are provided with anti-reflection coatings on both facets and spectrally stabilized with an external grating. We achieve 0.7 W single mode power and a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 42 dB. 
Reliability is tested in terms of facet stability and lifetime. Pulsed measurements reveal a power stability up to more than 5 MW/cm2. From cw aging tests at 1 W output power, lifetimes of about 6,000 h are extrapolated.

High-power high-brightness ridge-waveguide tapered diode lasers at 14xx nm

In this work, device reliability under DC- and RF-operation at high temperatures ranging from 140°C to 200°C and at high drain voltage of 50 V has been achieved by improving the gate metal processing technology. It will be shown by long term stress tests that the gate processing technology is the key to improve the stability of the gate leakage current. The short term drain voltage robustness under off state condition has been examined by a DC-voltage-step-stress test. At the maximum drain voltage of 130 V the gate and drain current densities remain below 0.1 mA/mm. First RF stress test of a 2.4 mm power FETs at 2 GHz also shows little degradation.

Reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under DC- and RF-operation

The reliability and degradation mechanism of AlGaN/GaN single stage amplifiers after 10 GHz stress at a drain voltage of 42 V and channel temperatures above 250°C was investigated using electroluminescence (EL) imaging, infrared thermography, and TEM The extrapolated median lifetime extracted from the Arrhenius plot is 5105 h at a channel temperature of 200°C, and the activation energy is 17 eV Intermediate measurements during stress show a strong decrease of maximum drain current and gate leakage current Physical failure analysis of faster degrading devices using EL showed that the 8 gate finger device changes from a homogeneous distribution before stress, where all gate fingers show approximately the same EL intensity, to a highly inhomogeneous distribution after stress, where one central gate finger shows a much higher EL intensity as compared to the others Infrared thermography shows that the finger with the highest EL intensity operates at a higher channel temperature TEM images of one stressed device reveal a dislocation below the gate on the source side edge and the formation of a void below the gate foot as the possible root cause of the observed degradation

Michael Mikulla

Papers

High-power diode laser arrays emitting at 2 μm with reduced far-field angle

High-power high-brightness ridge-waveguide tapered diode lasers at 14xx nm

Reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under DC- and RF-operation

Reliability and degradation mechanism of 0.25 µm AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under RF stress conditions

Reliability of 100 nm AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for mm-wave applications