Abstract

Interferometers based on the self-mixing effect in a single-mode laser diode are a low-cost solution for precise measurements of displacements, vibrations or absolute distances. Due to their inherent single-mode behaviour and their homogenous far field patterns, vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) appear especially suitable for this kind of application. Furthermore, by monolithic integration a high-efficiency resonance-enhanced photodetector (REPD) which is used to read out the interferometric signal, a simple and compact interferometric sensor can be realized.

© 2000 IEEE