Pendar Technologies proposes to develop the next generation of compact, high power long-wave infrared (LWIR) quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources with output power and wall-plug efficiency exceeding 4 Watts and 12 percent respectively. Innovations such as new low-loss waveguides and novel bandstructure capable of improving the performance of the laser emitters over the state-of-the-art will be implemented. New production methods and QCL designs that enables the efficient manufacturing of our optical source with high yield, batch-to-batch repeatability and low-cost testing will also be explored. The goal is to make the new LWIR high power QCLs significantly more affordable.
Benefit: The development of the proposed new class of long wave-infrared (LWIR) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) will result in significantly higher achievable power levels from a drastically more affordable optical source than currently available. The cost reduction anticipated for individual lasers will enable the widespread adoption of QCL technology across many applications and especially those requiring many devices. This technological advance is poised to disrupt numerous DoD applications, and in particular infrared countermeasure systems aimed at protecting ships and aircrafts from heatseeking missiles. Other potential applications include targeting and scene illumination. Because this novel on-chip technology can be adapted to meet the spectral tunability requirements of sensors, Pendar Technologies expects the proposed development to also result in the realization of new miniature analytical instruments that can detect explosives and other chemical threats. Civilian applications include detection of chemical hazards and industrial process control for example.
Keywords: efficient, efficient, low-cost continuous wave, long wave infrared, high power, affordable by design, Quantum Cascade Laser
