Low threshold vertical cavity surface emitting laser

摘要

In a VCSEL, vertical cavity surface emitting laser, lateral traveling mode density is reduced by reducing the number of traveling modes available to spontaneous emission of photons in the active cavity region, to suppress spontaneous emission into lateral traveling modes, to increase spontaneous emission into axial normal modes, to lower lasing threshold. The sidewall of the active cavity region is contoured, preferably by a 90° symmetrical V-shaped notch, to internally reflect laterally traveling photons, to suppress lateral traveling modes.