太赫兹波在生物学和危爆物检测等领域有广泛的应用前景，但其在成像上会受到探测器灵敏度的限制。搭建一套基于太赫兹量子级联激光器的自混合相干成像系统，将全息成像技术与自混合干涉测量相结合，实现太赫兹波段的大景深成像。利用自混合收发一体的特性，在不同偏焦程度下，对分辨率板上每毫米2个线对的区域进行二维成像，在偏焦56倍波长条件下得到与焦平面处相同的图像对比度。

选择中心波长为8.91 μm的量子级联激光器作为光源，结合波长调制光谱技术和小体积长光程的光学多通池，开发了一套氨气浓度检测系统。进行不同压力下氨气的直接吸收测量，结果表明谱线选择正确，以及系统搭建可行。配制不同浓度的氨气进行波长调制测量，得到二次谐波信号峰峰值与浓度之间呈现很好的线性关系，其拟合系数为99.50%。氨气浓度在0~100 ppm范围内，二次谐波的平均误差小于3%，其中在较高浓度10~100 ppm范围内，相对误差小于1%，灵敏度为10.35 ppm/V。配制浓度为6.25 ppm的氨气，并通入多通池检测，对系统进行Allan方差分析，系统在最佳积分时间为195 s时的探测极限为121.58 ppb。同时，从管道材料、温度两个方面出发，探究氨气脱附的效果。

解析大气中HONO和N₂O₄的光化学循环及其来源，需要对其质量分数进行准确测量，而质量分数测量的前提是吸收线参数的准确度量。采用7.8 μm室温连续量子级联激光器和长光程多次反射吸收池对实验产生的HONO和N₂O₄气体进行了同时测量，确定了两种气体的吸收线频率。根据已知的1280.4 cm^-1处trans-HONO的吸收线强，计算得到trans-HONO的质量分数为（0.72±0.04）×10^-6，相应的系统最低检测限为（11.15±0.50）×10^-9。利用中红外量子级联光谱技术同时对HONO和N₂O₄进行分析研究，所得到的谱线参数也为HONO和N₂O₄质量分数的实时监测、化学反应过程的分析等提供了重要的依据。

3~5 μm中红外波段激光在气体分子传感、空间光通信、差频太赫兹产生等领域中有广阔的应用前景。研究了一种4 μm波段宽谱可调谐外腔量子级联激光器，设计了一种以Littrow结构为基础的紧凑便携可调谐激光器模块。在激光器模块中采用同一个量子级联增益芯片，分别使用刻线密度为450 line/mm和300 line/mm的闪耀光栅组建了不同的外腔。当采用刻线密度为450 line/mm的闪耀光栅时，注入电流303 mA下的输出光功率为7.30 mW，具有380 nm的调谐范围（3774~4154 nm），边模抑制比为20 dB，出现高阶模式激射现象；当采用刻线密度为300 line/mm的闪耀光栅时，303 mA注入电流下的输出功率为5.24 mW，调谐范围为297 nm（3779~4076 nm），边模抑制比为20 dB，出现基模激射现象。由此可见，采用不同的外腔配置，可以分别获得满足高精度波长调谐和高光束质量要求的激光器性能。

针对太赫兹量子级联激光器光频梳射频信号提取与传输存在的阻抗不匹配问题，设计并提出了一种输入阻抗为20 Ω、输出阻抗为50 Ω的渐变微带线结构，研究了该结构的准TEM模电场分布，并根据S参数建立了相应的LC等效电路模型分析其物理机理。实验中，将渐变微带线结构应用于太赫兹量子级联激光器光频梳射频信号提取与测试，以验证渐变微带线传输射频信号效果，成功测量得到太赫兹量子级联激光器重复频率，其线宽为3.7 kHz，信噪比达到60 dB，在注入电流为700~900 mA范围内重复频率表现为稳定的单模信号，测量得到的最大保持和幅度艾伦方差结果同样表现出重复频率的稳定性。实验结果表明，所设计的渐变微带线具有良好的阻抗匹配效果，能够实现对太赫兹量子级联激光器光频梳射频信号稳定的提取和传输。

Stable operation is one of the most important requirements for a laser source for high-precision applications. Many efforts have been made to improve the stability of lasers by employing various techniques, e.g., electrical and/or optical injection and phase locking. However, these techniques normally involve complex experimental facilities. Therefore, an easy implementation of the stability evaluation of a laser is still challenging, especially for lasers emitting in the terahertz (THz) frequency range because the broadband photodetectors and mature locking techniques are limited. In this work, we propose a simple method, i.e., relative phase locking, to quickly evaluate the stability of THz lasers without a need of a THz local oscillator. The THz laser system consists of a THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) frequency comb and a single-mode QCL. Using the single-mode laser as a fast detector, heterodyne signals resulting from the beating between the single-mode laser and the comb laser are obtained. One of the heterodyne beating signals is selected and sent to a phase-locked loop (PLL) for implementing the relative phase locking. Two kinds of locks are performed by feeding the output error signal of the PLL, either to the comb laser or to the single-mode laser. By analyzing the current change and the corresponding frequency change of the PLL-controlled QCL in each phase-locking condition, we, in principle, are able to experimentally compare the stability of the emission frequency of the single-mode QCL (f_s) and the carrier envelope offset frequency (f_CEO) of the QCL comb. The experimental results reveal that the QCL comb with the repetition frequency injection locked demonstrates much higher stability than the single-mode laser. The work provides a simple heterodyne scheme for understanding the stability of THz lasers, which paves the way for the further locking of the lasers and their high-precision applications in the THz frequency range.

We report on the design and fabrication of a dual-wavelength switchable quantum cascade laser (QCL) by optimizing the design of a homogeneous active region and combining superposed distributed feedback gratings. Coaxial, single-mode emissions at two different wavelengths were achieved only through adjusting the bias voltage. Room temperature continuous-wave operation with output powers of above 30 mW and 75 mW was realized for single-mode emission at 7.61 µm and 7.06 µm, respectively. The simplified fabrication process and easy wavelength control of our designed dual-wavelength QCL make it very attractive for developing miniature multi-species gas sensing systems.

太赫兹量子级联激光器（THz QCL）双光梳在光谱检测、测距、成像等领域具有重要应用。双光梳信号严重依赖THz耦合光功率。利用THz QCL激射光为线偏振光的特性，在双光梳光路上插入线偏振片，通过旋转偏振片以达到对THz光强进行调节的作用。系统研究了THz QCL双光梳谱和功率与偏振角度的依赖关系，为实现高稳定THz双光梳光源与应用奠定基础。