Publications Details
Phase-locked arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are of increasing interest to the photonics community because of their surface-emitting structure, simple fabrication and packaging, wafer-level testability and potential for low cost. Scaling VCSELs to higher power outputs requires increasing the device area, which leads to transverse mode control difficulties if devices become larger than 10-15 microns. One approach to increasing the device size while maintaining a well controlled transverse mode profile is to form coupled or phase-locked, two-dimensional arrays of VCSELs that are individually single-transverse mode. The authors have fabricated and characterized both photopumped and electrically injected two-dimensional VCSEL arrays with apertures over 100 microns wide. Their work has led to an increased understanding of these devices and they have developed new types of devices, including hybrid semiconductor/dielectric mirror VCSEL arrays, VCSEL arrays with etched trench, self-aligned, gold grid contacts and arrays with integrated phase-shifters to correct the far-field pattern.