Transverse mode selection and light-current characteristics in index-guided VCSELs

Author

Valle, A. ; Pesquera, L. ; Rees, P. ; Shore, A.

Author_Institution

Fac. de Ciencias, CSIC, Santander, Spain

fYear

1999

fDate

26-27 July 1999

Abstract

The recent rapid advances in the performance of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) give significant impetus to identifying practical applications of these devices in, for example, optical data links and two-dimensional optical switching. In looking towards such applications serious consideration must be given to basic device performance characteristics and specifically to their operating efficiencies, threshold currents and transverse mode structures. Recent work has indicated the role of spatial hole-burning effects in determining both the transverse mode structure and the wall-plug efficiencies of gain-guided VCSELs. We show that the strength of the in-built transverse mode waveguide in index-guided VCSELs exerts a dramatic influence on the excitation of transverse modes. The influence is, in particular, revealed by calculated light-current characteristics of index guided VCSELs.

Keywords

laser beams; laser cavity resonators; laser modes; laser theory; optical hole burning; semiconductor lasers; surface emitting lasers; waveguide lasers; device performance characteristics; in-built transverse mode waveguide; index-guided VCSEL; index-guided VCSELs; light-current characteristics; operating efficiencies; optical data links; practical applications; spatial hole-burning effects; threshold currents; transverse mode selection; transverse mode structure; transverse mode structures; transverse modes; two-dimensional optical switching; vertical cavity surface emitting lasers; wall-plug efficiencies; Application software; Charge carrier density; Laser modes; Optical computing; Optical devices; Optical refraction; Optical variables control; Stimulated emission; Temperature; Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Nanostructures and Quantum Dots/WDM Components/VCSELs and Microcavaties/RF Photonics for CATV and HFC Systems, 1999 Digest of the LEOS Summer Topical Meetings

Conference_Location

San Diego, CA, USA

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5633-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/LEOSST.1999.794711

Filename

794711