公开(公告)号：US5412680A

公开(公告)日：1995-05-02

申请号：US210526

申请日：1994-03-18

申请人： Stanley E. Swirhun ,  Thomas J. O'Neill, Jr.

发明人： Stanley E. Swirhun ,  Thomas J. O'Neill, Jr.

IPC分类号： H01S5/183 ,  H01S5/22 ,  H01S5/34 ,  H01S5/42 ,  H01S3/19

CPC分类号： B82Y20/00 ,  H01S5/18355 ,  H01S5/18308 ,  H01S5/18333 ,  H01S5/18338 ,  H01S5/18394 ,  H01S5/3404 ,  H01S5/423

摘要： This invention discloses vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) formed to emit optical radiation that has a controlled direction of polarization. In one embodiment, a VCSEL has an active region that contains at least one strained semiconductor layer which has a preferred direction of electrical conductivity due to the strain. As a result, the optical radiation emitted from the VCSEL has a direction of polarization that is parallel to the preferred direction of conductivity. In another embodiment, a VCSEL has an elongated active region, and the direction of polarization of the radiation emitted from the VCSEL is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the active region. The invention also discloses a VCSEL array comprising vertical cavity surface emitting lasers having elongated active regions. By forming the elongated active regions parallel to each other, the array emits optical radiation having parallel polarization. Alternatively, the array may be formed so that the elongated active regions of adjacent VCSELs of the array are perpendicular to each other. As a result, adjacent VCSELs in the array emit optical radiation having orthogonal polarizations.

摘要翻译： 本发明公开了形成为发射具有受控偏振方向的光辐射的垂直腔表面发射激光器（VCSEL）。 在一个实施例中，VCSEL具有包含至少一个应变半导体层的有源区，该应变半导体层由于应变而具有优选的导电方向。 结果，从VCSEL发射的光辐射具有平行于优选的导电方向的偏振方向。 在另一个实施例中，VCSEL具有细长的有源区，并且从VCSEL发射的辐射的偏振方向平行于有源区的纵轴。 本发明还公开了一种VCSEL阵列，其包括具有细长有源区域的垂直腔表面发射激光器。 通过形成彼此平行的细长有源区域，阵列发射具有平行极化的光辐射。 或者，可以形成阵列，使得阵列的相邻VCSEL的细长有源区彼此垂直。 结果，阵列中的相邻VCSEL发射具有正交偏振的光辐射。