Planar Photonic Crystal Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Planar index-guided proton-implanted photonic crystal vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers are fabricated and characterized. Index guiding from the photonic crystal improves the performance of the lasers by creating a stable light output versus current response, reducing the threshold current, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of selected topics in quantum electronics 2013-07, Vol.19 (4), p.4900107-4900107
Main Authors: Meng Peun Tan, Kasten, A. M., Sulkin, J. D., Choquette, K. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apertures
Index guiding
Indexes
Lasers
Light
Optical device fabrication
photonic crystal
Photonic crystals
single transverse mode
Threshold current
Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers
vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs)
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Summary:Planar index-guided proton-implanted photonic crystal vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers are fabricated and characterized. Index guiding from the photonic crystal improves the performance of the lasers by creating a stable light output versus current response, reducing the threshold current, and enhancing the differential quantum efficiency. Examination of the etch depth dependence of laser efficiency reveals various mechanisms that affect the laser performance and modal properties such as optical loss, Joule heating, and spectral gain-resonance alignment. Photonic crystal designs can be chosen which result in lasing operation only in the fundamental transverse mode from threshold to maximum power, even for the condition of blue-shifted gain spectrum relative to the cavity resonance. Suitable photonic crystal designs are shown to be manufacturable due to the planar device topology, the use of optical lithography in all processing steps, and compatibility with virtually any vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser epitaxial designs.
ISSN:1077-260X
1558-4542
DOI:10.1109/JSTQE.2013.2241398