CCD thermoreflectance spectroscopy as a tool for thermal characterization of quantum cascade lasers

The development of charge coupled device thermoreflectance (CCD TR) instrumentation for accurate and rapid evaluation of the thermal characteristics of quantum cascade lasers is demonstrated. The thermal characterization of such devices provides a mode for comparing different operating conditions, geometries and device designs. The method allows for registration of the high-resolution maps of the temperature distribution in a time not exceeding several seconds. The capabilities of the CCD TR are compared with standard TR spectroscopy. (paper)