High-power VCSELs: Modeling and experimental characterization

Broad-area oxide confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are investigated theoretically and experimentally as high-power laser sources. A self-consistent laser model comprising current and temperature distributions, carrier diffusion, and a simplified optical submodel is employed to explain measured output characteristics, Top and bottom emitting devices of various diameters are designed and fabricated and the scaling laws for various laser parameters are extracted. A comparison between both emission schemes is provided. Maximum output powers of 180mW and 350 mW obtained from both top emitters and heal-sink mounted bottom emitters of 150 mu m and 200 mu m active diameter, respectively, represent the state-of-the-art. Even higher output powers at improved conversion efficiencies are suggested to be obtained from densely spaced two-dimensional arrays with properly applied heat-sinking.