Abstract

Vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting near 0.85 μm are becoming increasingly important for short-haul optical fiber transmission systems. These devices benefit from highly reflective and thermally conductive all-epitaxial GaAs-based mirrors and efficient transverse confinement through AlAs-oxide dielectric apertures. Extending this commercially-established GaAs-based technology to wavelengths in the 1.3-1.6 μm range allows for dramatically increased transmission bandwidth and distance in conventional single- and multi-mode fiber. GaAs/AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors are readily adapted to these wavelengths; however, the development of a viable long-wavelength active region has been more elusive because of issues of material bandgap, strain, and critical thickness coupled with quantum size effects. Several approaches that have demonstrated 1.2-1.3 μm laser emission include novel material alloys such as GaInNAs [1] or GaAsSb [2], more highly strained conventional materials (InGaAs) [3], and novel geometries (InGaAs quantum dots) [4].

© 2001 IEEE