Abstract

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have recently generated considerable interest, due to their monolithic design and astigmatic-output characteristics. Phase-locked arrays of such lasers are particularly attractive because they represent a possible means of scaling up the available output power while maintaining diffraction-limited emission. Modest-sized arrays (30 × 30), emitting several watts, would be a [tractive for a variety of applications such as optical computing, laser radar, and space communications. However, modal emission characteristics for devices reported to date^1,2 have been far from ideal, pointing to the need for further understanding of their modal-emission properties.

© 1991 Optical Society of America