810 nm linear vertical cavity laser arrays on 3 /spl mu/m pitch

In this work, we report linear arrays of vertical cavity lasers on what we believe to be the highest linear density ever achieved for independently addressable devices. We have fabricated planar laterally oxidized (PLO) laser arrays based on laterally oxidized apertures with adjacent devices sharing at least one common via hole. With this approach, laser arrays begin to resemble two-dimensional "crystals" with the symmetry of the hole pattern. For these dense arrays, we have chosen hexagonal symmetry (six holes per laser) due to the improved fill factor for laser area that it offers relative to a four hole pattern device, while minimally compromising the linear density achievable.