High-Power Micro-Optical Bench Terahertz Quantum-Cascade Laser System

Abstract

We report on compact high-power terahertz quantum-cascade laser systems. By integrating the optical components, namely, a lens, a polarization filter, and a $\lambda /4$ waveplate, on a micro-optical bench, we achieve optical isolation as well as beamforming while maintaining high output power without the need of additional optical elements. In the future, such quantum-cascade laser systems might be implemented as local oscillators in heterodyne receivers for space applications.