Highly sensitive and ultrafast optoelectronic systems operating in the atmospheric thermal window (8–14μm) are required for free-space communications, light detection and ranging (Lidar) and for high resolution spectroscopy and in observational astronomy.

Unipolar quantum optoelectronics is a field of research of quantum physics that encompass an ensemble of semi-conductor devices aiming to develop enabling systems for applications in the atmospheric thermal window (8–14μm). The new generation of these devices is embedded into metamaterials for increasing their performances. They operate at room temperature with bandwidths of tens of GHz, ideal for free-space communications, light detection and ranging (Lidar), high resolution spectroscopy and observational astronomy.