Intersubband absorption with difference-frequency generation in GaAs asymmetric quantum wells

An asymmetric quantum well （AQW） is designed to emit terahertz （THz） waves by using difference frequency generation （DFG） with the structure of GaAs/Al0.2Ga0.8As/Al0.5Ga0.sAs. The characteristics of absorption coefficients are analysed under the parabolic and non-parabolic energy-band conditions in detail. We find that the absorption coefficients vary with the two pump optical intensities, and they reach the maxima when the pump wavelengths are given as λp1 = 9.70 μm and λp2 = 10.64 μm, respectively. Compared with non-parabolic conditions, the total absorption coefficient under parabolic conditions shows a blue shift, which is due to the increase in the energy difference between the ground and excited states. By adjusting the two pump optical intensities, the wave vector phase-matching condition inside the AQW is satisfied.