Influence of an electric field on the operation of terahertz intracenter silicon lasers

Abstract

We have investigated the influence of a pulsed electric field on the intracenter population inversion between phosphorus donor states in silicon. Terahertz-range electroluminescence resulted from the populated excited donor states. It grows linearly above the impurity breakdown field but saturates at excitation powers exceeding 100W at 5µs pulse length. An electric field applied to the optically pumped silicon laser reduces the efficiency of the 2p0→1s(T2) phosphorus transition already at voltages below the impurity breakdown. The appearance of a current through the laser sample results in a fast quenching of the laser emission that indicates a reduction in the inversed population between the laser states.