Multi-section vertical-cavity laser diode for high power single-mode operation

Summary form only given. Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting into the fundamental TEM/sub 00/ mode at high powers (>10 mW) will be the enabling technology for many emerging VCSEL applications including data communications with singlemode fiber, laser printing, optical read/write heads, and modulation spectroscopy. Coupled-resonator vertical-cavity lasers have already shown a variety of interesting behavior including dual wavelength operation, picosecond pulse generation,and coupled-cavity modulation. We have achieved a record high fundamental mode power of greater than 6.0 mW from our coupled-resonator vertical-cavity lasers (CRV-CLs). In conventional VCSELs, the extent to which the gain volume may be increased is limited by the onset of multi-mode, operation. Our results indicate that this limitation is circumvented in a coupled-resonator device allowing high-power fundamental-mode operation.