摘要： Electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the terahertz range (300?GHz to 10?THz) have applications in many areas, from imaging and security screening to the atmospheric and biological sciences. Semiconductor devices called quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) provide the most compact and efficient way to generate terahertz radiation. In QCLs, electrons cascade down in energy through a series of discrete quantum energy levels, emitting a photon at each step1. But, as with all compact semi conducting lasers, QCLs are notoriously sensitive to fabrication imperfections, which results in device-to-device variability of the laser output frequency. Now, on page 246, Zeng et al.2 report the realization of a terahertz QCL that is insensitive to such disorder. This achievement opens the door for terahertz lasers and optoelectronics that have unprecedented stability and fabrication reproducibility.