Integrated MEMS-tunable VCSELs for reconfigurable optical interconnects

Benjamin Kögel; Pierluigi Debernardi; Petter Westbergh; Johan S. Gustavsson; Åsa Haglund; Erik Haglund; Jörgen Bengtsson; Anders Larsson

doi:10.1117/12.908420

7 February 2012 Integrated MEMS-tunable VCSELs for reconfigurable optical interconnects

Benjamin Kögel, Pierluigi Debernardi, Petter Westbergh, Johan S. Gustavsson, Åsa Haglund, Erik Haglund, Jörgen Bengtsson, Anders Larsson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8276, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers XVI; 82760Q (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.908420
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

A simple and low-cost technology for tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with curved movable micromirror is presented. The micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) is integrated with the active optical component (so-called half-VCSEL) by means of surface-micromachining using a reflown photoresist droplet as sacrificial layer. The technology is demonstrated for electrically pumped, short-wavelength (850 nm) tunable VCSELs. Fabricated devices with 10 μm oxide aperture are singlemode with sidemode suppression >35 dB, tunable over 24 nm with output power up to 0.5mW, and have a beam divergence angle <6 °. An improved high-speed design with reduced parasitic capacitance enables direct modulation with 3dB-bandwidths up to 6GHz and error-free data transmission at 5Gbit/s. The modulation response of the MEMS under electrothermal actuation has a bandwidth of 400 Hz corresponding to switching times of about 10ms. The thermal crosstalk between MEMS and half-VCSEL is negligible and not degrading the device performance. With these characteristics the integrated MEMS-tunable VCSELs are basically suitable for use in reconfigurable optical interconnects and ready for test in a prototype system. Schemes for improving output power, tuning speed, and modulation bandwidth are briefly discussed.

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Benjamin Kögel, Pierluigi Debernardi, Petter Westbergh, Johan S. Gustavsson, Åsa Haglund, Erik Haglund, Jörgen Bengtsson, and Anders Larsson "Integrated MEMS-tunable VCSELs for reconfigurable optical interconnects", Proc. SPIE 8276, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers XVI, 82760Q (7 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.908420

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