Fabrication, Packaging, and Performance of VCSELs and Photodetectors for Space Applications
- Sandia National Laboratories
Optocouplers are used for a variety of applications aboard spacecraft including electrical isolation, switching and power transfer. Commercially available light emitting diode (LED)-based optocouplers have experienced severe degradation of light output due to extensive displacement damage occurring in the semiconductor lattice caused by energetic proton bombardment. A new optocoupler has been designed and fabricated which utilizes vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and resonant cavity photodetector (RCPD) technologies for the optocoupler emitter and detector, respectively. Linear arrays of selectively oxidized GaAs/AlGaAs VCSELS and RCPDS, each designed to operate at a wavelength of 850nm, were fabricated using an airbridge contacting scheme. The airbridged contacts were designed to improve packaging yields and device reliability by eliminating the use of a polyimide planarizing layer which provided poor adhesion to the bond pad metallization. Details of the airbridged optocoupler fabrication process are reported. Discrete VCSEL and RCPD devices were characterized at temperatures between {minus}100 to 100 C. Devices were packaged in a face-to-face configuration to form a single channel optocoupler and its performance was evaluated under conditions of high-energy proton bombardment.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (US); Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 4258
- Report Number(s):
- SAND99-0308C
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
High-temperature analysis of optical coupling using AlGaAs/GaAs LEDs for high-density integrated power modules
VCSEL fault location apparatus and method