Phase-locked arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Mial E. Warren; Kevin L. Lear; Paul Lee Gourley; G. Ronald Hadley; J. A. Lott; G. Allen Vawter; Scott Chalmers; Thomas M. Brennan; B. Eugene Hammons; John C. Zolper

doi:10.1117/12.177131

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2 June 1994 Phase-locked arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Mial E. Warren, Kevin L. Lear, Paul Lee Gourley, G. Ronald Hadley, J. A. Lott, G. Allen Vawter, Scott Chalmers, Thomas M. Brennan, B. Eugene Hammons, John C. Zolper

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Proceedings Volume 2145, Nonlinear Optics for High-Speed Electronics and Optical Frequency Conversion; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177131
Event: OE/LASE '94, 1994, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are of increasing interest to the photonics community because of their surface-emitting structure, simple fabrication and packaging, wafer-level testability, and potential for low cost manufacture. Scaling VCSELs to higher power outputs requires increasing the device area, which leads to transverse mode control difficulties if devices become larger than about 5 microns. One approach to increasing the device size while maintaining a well controlled transverse mode profile is formation of coupled or phase-locked 2D arrays of VCSELs that are individually single-transverse mode. Such arrays have unique optical properties, not all of which are desirable. This paper covers some of the basic principles of these devices and reviews recent work on device designs, fabrication and operation. A technique for improving the far- field properties of the arrays is demonstrated and performance limitations are discussed.

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Mial E. Warren, Kevin L. Lear, Paul Lee Gourley, G. Ronald Hadley, J. A. Lott, G. Allen Vawter, Scott Chalmers, Thomas M. Brennan, B. Eugene Hammons, and John C. Zolper "Phase-locked arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers", Proc. SPIE 2145, Nonlinear Optics for High-Speed Electronics and Optical Frequency Conversion, (2 June 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177131

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