Title: Temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and method for fabrication thereof

Abstract

A temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and method for fabrication thereof. The temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises a quantum-well active region within a resonant cavity, the active region having a gain spectrum with a high-order subband (n.gtoreq.2) contribution thereto for broadening and flattening the gain spectrum, thereby substantially reducing any variation in operating characteristics of the VCSEL over a temperature range of interest. The method for forming the temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises the steps of providing a substrate and forming a plurality of layers thereon for providing first and second distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirror stacks with an active region sandwiched therebetween, the active region including at least one quantum-well layer providing a gain spectrum having a high-order subband (n.gtoreq.2) gain contribution, and the DBR mirror stacks having predetermined layer compositions and thicknesses for providing a cavity resonance within a predetermined wavelength range substantially overlapping the gain spectrum.

Inventors:

Chow, Weng W ^[1]; Choquette, Kent D ^[2]; Gourley, Paul L ^[2]

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+ Show Inventor Affiliations

1. Sandia Park, NM
2. Albuquerque, NM

Issue Date:

Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 EST 1998

Research Org.:

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)

OSTI Identifier:

871350

Patent Number(s):

5712865

Assignee:

Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01S - DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT

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B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES

B82Y20/00 - Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01S - DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT

H01S2301/04 - Gain spectral shaping, flattening
H01S5/02469 - {Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC}
H01S5/1221 - {Detuning between Bragg wavelength and gain maximum}
H01S5/18308 - {having a special structure for lateral current or light confinement}
H01S5/2213 - {based on polyimide or resin}
H01S5/3418 - {using transitions from higher quantum levels}
H01S5/3432 - {the whole junction comprising only

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DOE Contract Number:  

AC04-94AL85000

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

temperature-insensitive; vertical-cavity; surface-emitting; lasers; method; fabrication; laser; vcsel; comprises; quantum-well; active; region; resonant; cavity; spectrum; high-order; subband; gtoreq; contribution; thereto; broadening; flattening; substantially; reducing; variation; operating; characteristics; temperature; range; forming; steps; providing; substrate; plurality; layers; thereon; distributed; bragg; reflector; dbr; mirror; stacks; sandwiched; therebetween; including; layer; predetermined; compositions; thicknesses; resonance; wavelength; overlapping; sandwiched therebetween; cavity surface; surface-emitting laser; bragg reflector; quantum-well layer; wavelength range; vertical-cavity surface-emitting; predetermined wavelength; operating characteristics; active region; temperature range; resonant cavity; surface-emitting lasers; substantially reducing; emitting laser; distributed bragg; cavity resonance; quantum-well active; layer composition; temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity; emitting lasers; operating characteristic; substantially overlap; /372/