We present a quantum-cascade emitter in the galliumarsenide/aluminum-galliumarsenide (GaAs/AlGaAs) heterosystem whose emission properties are controlled by an additional electric field perpendicular to the transport direction. In our case, the additional field is established by remote delta-silicon doping, which is also responsible for charge carrier supply. The field originating from the delta-doping gives rise to an in-plane confinement creating a quantum-wire cascade. This field-effect quantum-cascade emitter is realized using the cleaved edge overgrowth method. Radiative electronic transitions between discrete energy levels in coupled quantum wires were calculated for such a structure. Without an additional electric field, no significant transport is observed. With a field applied, midinfrared emission is observed at a peak wave number of 1200 cm(-1) with a full width at half maximum of 300 cm(-1) for a heat-sink temperature of 20 K. The presented sample is an experimental proposal for a unipolar quantum-wire intersubband laser. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.