High peak power (34 W) photonic crystal distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers

We demonstrate room temperature, high power, single mode and diffraction limited operation of a two dimensional photonic crystal distributed feedback (PCDFB) quantum cascade laser emitting at 4.36 μm. Total peak power up to 34 W is observed from a 3 mm long laser with 400 μm cavity width at room temperature. Far-field profiles have M 2 figure of merit as low as 2.5. This device represents a significant step towards realization of spatially and spectrally pure broad area high power quantum cascade lasers.