Complete optimisation of an electron-beam-pumped Xe laser emitting at 1.73, 2.03, 2.65, 2.63, 3.37, and 3.51 μm

Abstract

In this study the control of interfacial layers in nanometre thin Ga x In 1−x As/InP heterostructures is demonstrated by variation of the growth interruption sequence (GIS) at the binary-ternary interfaces. All samples have been prepared by chemical beam epitaxy simultaneously growing the structures on exact (100) substrates and (100) substrates misoriented by 2 • towards (110). Characterization was by means of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and high-resolution x-ray diffraction. It is shown that both composition and thickness of the interfacial layers can be manipulated on the (sub)monolayer scale with GIS times of the order of seconds. According to analysis of the x-ray data, interfaces can be tuned from +4 × 10 −3 compression to −4 × 10 −3 tension around nominally lattice-matched Ga x In 1−x As quantum wells of six monolayers thick. The PL investigations show that the tensile Ga x In 1−x P interfaces have no effect on the position of the PL peak maximum whereas compressive, InAs-like interfaces shift the transition to lower energy. This trend can be qualitatively understood but for all samples the calculated transition energies are higher than the measured values. Recommendations are given for further work which is not only of importance to the InP/Ga x In 1−x As system but should be applicable to quantum well structures in other materials where heterojunctions involve changes in both the group V and group III sublattices.

Optimizing the Ar–Xe infrared laser on the Naval Research Laboratory’s Electra generator

“…It was believed to be pumped solely by electron collisional excitation. It has since been investigated by several groups [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] in Russia, The Netherlands, and also in the United States. Thus, this atomic xenon laser is usually referred to as the "Ar-Xe laser."…”

Electron kinetics of the e-beam pumped Ar–Xe laser

“…All the laser transitions originate from a 5d upper state and terminate on a 6p lower state. This laser has been demonstrated and investigated by several groups [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] but the detailed mechanism of population inversion is still poorly understood. It is generally believed that the upper 5d laser levels are overpopulated by electron dissociative recombination from the molecular ions ArXe + and Xe + 2 .…”

“…Understanding of the physical processes of the Ar-Xe laser has been pursued both theoretically and experimentally. On the theoretical side, extensive computer simulations of the Ar-Xe laser kinetics have been performed [4,10,11,[15][16][17], most of which emphasize the heavy-particle kinetics. Frequently, quoted heavy particle rates for a given process differ by a factor of 2 or more.…”