Single mode VCSELs with low threshold and high speed operation

    公开(公告)号:US11038321B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-06-15

    申请号:US16600030

    申请日:2019-10-11

    Inventor: Milton Feng Xin Yu

    Abstract: Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and methods for making such are provided. The VCSELs include stepped upper reflectors having respective differently-sized apertures. This allows the lower portion of the reflector to have formed therein a wider-diameter aperture to allow for increased current injection. The upper portion of the reflector has formed therein a narrower-diameter, mode-selecting aperture to allow higher-order modes to be reduced, leading to single-mode operation. The VCSELs are thus capable of higher-power emission in a single mode, allowing for longer-distance signaling over optical fiber, despite modal dispersion within the fiber and/or at the coupling between the VCSEL and the fiber. The two differently-sized apertures can be formed via respective lateral oxidation processes following etch-down to form the respective steps of the upper reflector. Differences in composition across the upper reflector results in temperature-dependence of the oxidation process, allowing the apertures to be formed with different sizes.

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