Monte Carlo study of GaN versus GaAs terahertz quantum cascade structures

Due to their large optical phonon energies, nitride semiconductors are promising for the development of terahertz quantum cascade lasers with dramatically improved high-temperature performance relative to existing GaAs devices. Here, we present a rigorous Monte Carlo study of carrier dynamics in two structures based on the same design scheme for emission at 2 THz, consisting of GaN/AlGaN or GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. The population inversion and hence the gain coefficient of the nitride device are found to exhibit a much weaker (by a factor of over 3) temperature dependence and to remain large enough for laser action even without cryogenic cooling. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.