Laser range finding using the self-mixing effect in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

In this paper we report on a laser range finding system built using the self-mixing effect in a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL). The distance to the target in these range finders is usually calculated by determining the time interval between the peaks in the resulting power fluctuations that are produced by the self-mixing effect. In this study we propose the use of a method that utilises the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) that proves to have better performance than the traditional peak spacing methods used by other researchers. A range finding system has been built using a VCSEL and the FFT to measure a range of distances from 20cm to 1m with a maximum error of 1.5% and a resolution of 5mm. This is the first time to our knowledge that such a range finding system has been built with a VCSEL

A Massively Parallel Imaging System Based on the Self-Mixing Effect in a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Array

In this work we propose a massively parallel self-mixing imaging system, based on an array of VCSELs, to measure surface profiles of displacement, distance, velocity and liquid flow rate. The feasibility of this concept is demonstrated by the successful operation of a small scale prototype consisting of eight individual commercial VCSELs with integrated photodetectors. The system is used to accurately measure the velocity at different radial points on a rotating disk. The results show no influence of crosstalk. A massive version of the system will be useful in many industrial and biomedical applications where real-time surface profiling, vibrometry and velocimetry will be very beneficial

Displacement and Distance Measurement using the Change in Junction Voltage Across a Laser Diode Due to the Self-Mixing Effect

The conventional self-mixing sensing systems employ a detection scheme utilizing the photocurrent from an integrated photodiode. This work reports on an alternative way of implementing a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) based self-mixing sensor using the laser junction voltage as the source of the self-mixing signal. We show that the same information can be obtained with only minor changes to the extraction circuitry leading to potential cost saving with reductions in component costs and complexity. The theoretical linkage between voltage and photocurrent within the self-mixing model is presented. Experiments using both photo current and voltage detection were carried out and the results obtained show good agreement with the theory. Similar error trends for both detection regimes were observed

Temperature dependent high speed dynamics of terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers offer a potentially vast number of new applications. To better understand and apply these lasers, a device-specific modeling method was developed that realistically predicts optical output power under changing current drive and chip temperature. Model parameters are deduced from the self-consistent solution of a full set of rate equations, obtained from energy-balance Schro ̈dinger-Poisson scattering transport calculations. The model is thus derived from first principles, based on the device structure, and is therefore not a generic or phenomenological model that merely imitates expected device behavior. By fitting polynomials to data arrays representing the rate equation parameters, we are able to significantly condense the model, improving memory usage and computational efficiency

A QCL model with integrated thermal and stark rollover mechanisms

There is a need for a model that accurately describes dynamics of a bound-to-continuum terahertz quantum cascade laser over its full range of operating temperatures and bias conditions. In this paper we propose a compact model which, through the inclusion of thermal and Stark effects, accurately reproduces the light-current characteristics of an exemplar bound-to-continuum terahertz quantum cascade laser. Through this model, we investigate the dynamics of this laser with a view to applications in high-speed free space communications

Optical feedback effects on terahertz quantum cascade lasers: modelling and applications

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are compact sources of radiation in the 1–5 THz range with significant potential for applications in sensing and imaging. Laser feedback interferometry (LFI) with THz QCLs is a technique utilizing the sensitivity of the QCL to the radiation reflected back into the laser cavity from an external target. We will discuss modelling techniques and explore the applications of LFI in biological tissue imaging and will show that the confocal nature of the QCL in LFI systems, with their innate capacity for depth sectioning, makes them suitable for skin diagnostics with the well-known advantages of more conventional confocal microscopes. A demonstration of discrimination of neoplasia from healthy tissue using a THz, LFI-based system in the context of melanoma is presented using a transgenic mouse model. © (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only

Coherent three-dimensional terahertz imaging through self-mixing in a quantum cascade laser

We demonstrate coherent terahertz (THz) frequency imaging using the self-mixing effect in a quantum cascade laser (QCL). Self-mixing voltage waveforms are acquired at each pixel of a two-dimensional image of etched GaAs structures and fitted to a three-mirror laser model, enabling extraction of the amplitude and phase parameters of the reflected field. From the phase, we reconstruct the depth of the sample surface, and we show that the amplitude can be related to the sample reflectance. Our approach is experimentally simple and compact, and does not require frequency stabilization of the THz QCL. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC

Multi-spectral terahertz sensing: proposal for a coupled-cavity quantum cascade laser based optical feedback interferometer

We propose a laser feedback interferometer operating at multiple terahertz (THz) frequency bands by using a pulsed coupled-cavity THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) under optical feedback. A theoretical model that contains multi-mode reduced rate equations and thermal equations is presented, which captures the interplay between electro-optical, thermal, and feedback effects. By using the self-heating effect in both active and passive cavities, self-mixing signal responses at three different THz frequency bands are predicted. A multi-spectral laser feedback interferometry system based on such a coupled-cavity THz QCL will permit ultra-high-speed sensing and spectroscopic applications including material identification

Origin of terminal voltage variations due to self-mixing in terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers

We explain the origin of voltage variations due to self-mixing in a terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) using an extended density matrix (DM) approach. Our DM model allows calculation of both the current–voltage (I–V) and optical power characteristics of the QCL under optical feedback by changing the cavity loss, to which the gain of the active region is clamped. The variation of intra-cavity field strength necessary to achieve gain clamping, and the corresponding change in bias required to maintain a constant current density through the heterostructure is then calculated. Strong enhancement of the self-mixing voltage signal due to non-linearity of the (I–V) characteristics is predicted and confirmed experimentally in an exemplar 2.6 THz bound-to-continuum QCL

A model for a pulsed terahertz quantum cascade laser under optical feedback

Optical feedback effects in lasers may be useful or problematic, depending on the type of application. When semiconductor lasers are operated using pulsed-mode excitation, their behavior under optical feedback depends on the electronic and thermal characteristics of the laser, as well as the nature of the external cavity. Predicting the behavior of a laser under both optical feedback and pulsed operation therefore requires a detailed model that includes laser-specific thermal and electronic characteristics. In this paper we introduce such a model for an exemplar bound-to-continuum terahertz frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL), illustrating its use in a selection of pulsed operation scenarios. Our results demonstrate significant interplay between electro-optical, thermal, and feedback phenomena, and that this interplay is key to understanding QCL behavior in pulsed applications. Further, our results suggest that for many types of QCL in interferometric applications, thermal modulation via low duty cycle pulsed operation would be an alternative to commonly used adiabatic modulation