Lateral-Cavity Design for Long-Wavelength Vertical-Cavity Lasers

摘要

Long-wavelength vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) for fiber-optic applications are subject of intense research and development efforts. Several VCL design concepts are currently competing to meet telecommunication specifications. One of the main problems is the demonstration of high-power single-optical-mode lasing at elevated temperature. Both mode and temperature stability strongly depend on the type of aperture layer used for lateral confinement of the VCL micro-cavity. This paper compares different concepts of the lateral cavity design. The trade-offs regarding single-mode lasing, electrical current confinement, and self-heating are discussed in detail.