High efficiency coupling of Terahertz micro-ring quantum cascade lasers to the low-loss optical modes of hollow metallic waveguides

We demonstrate that azimuthally polarized surface emitting Terahertz quantum cascade lasers fabricated in a micro-ring resonator geometry can be coupled to cylindrical hollow aluminum waveguides reaching efficiencies as high approximate to 98%, when a collimating lens is used. By placing the waveguide in close contact with the QCL in a simple back-to-back geometry, the laser mode can be perfectly matched with the low loss TE(01) waveguide mode showing attenuation losses as low as approximate to 2.3-2.7 dB/m at 3.2 THz. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America