Top-surface emitting lasers with 1.9 V threshold voltage and the effect of spatial hole burning on their transverse mode operation and efficiencies

Abstract

The fabrication and operating characteristics of a 1.9 V top surface emitting laser are presented. A planar fabrication process with a modified ion implantation mask is used to achieve gain guided lasers operating up to 90 °C. The laser operates in the fundamental mode up to 0.7 mW with 3.2 mW total peak optical output power. Direct evidence of spatial hole burning for the fundamental and the next higher mode is observed. This spatial hole burning puts a limit on the fundamental mode operation and efficiency of the lasers.

Design, fabrication, and performance of infrared and visible vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

“…Experimental evidence of thermal lensing comes from the higher threshold currents observed under pulsed operation [73], and from the long time lag observed between electrical modulation and optical response [36], [74]. The index guiding with thermal lensing is insufficient to prevent multilateral-mode operation due to spatial hole burning [75], and the implanted geometry does not provide inherent polarization discrimination or control.…”

Measurement of internal quantum efficiency and losses in vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

“…3 VCSELs with 8 m in diameter had room temperature threshold current of 2.7 mA ͑cw͒ and threshold voltage of 4.7 V. Power output of about 1.1 mW was obtained at 7.4 mA. Light-current curves of VCSELs in the external cavity were taken for different values of the attenuator transmittance t bs .…”

Polarization and Transverse Mode Behaviour of VCSELs under Optical Injection

“…Although VCSELs are intrinsically single-longitudinal mode devices, emission in multiple transverse and polarization modes is usually found (Chang-Hasnain et al 1991). While emission in several transverse modes is usually attributed to Spatial Hole Burning (SHB) effects (Chang-Hasnain et al 1991;Vakhshoori et al 1993;, several physical mechanisms have been proposed to explain the polarization behaviour of these devices (Choquette et al 1995;San Miguel et al 1995;Valle et al 1996;Panajotov et al 1998;Ryvkin et al 1999). Joint consideration of previous physical mechanisms (Martin-Regalado et al 1997a;Valle et al 1997;Balle et al 1999, Mulet andBalle 2003) has helped to better understand the polarization behaviour of multitransverse mode VCSELs.…”