Vertical cavity laser technology for interconnection and access links

Projektinformationen

VERTICAL

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: AC024

Projekt abgeschlossen

Startdatum 1 September 1995

Enddatum 31 August 1998

Finanziert unter

• Specific programme of research, technological development and demonstration in the area of advanced communications technologies and services, 1994-1998

Gesamtkosten € 5 260 000,00

EU-Beitrag € 2 199 000,00

Koordiniert durch

Alcatel Alsthom Recherche
France

Exploitable results

Vertical cavity laser technology for interconnection and access links

Due to their intrinsic properties, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) have a wide variety of potential use and represent the new generation of laser sources for telecommunication or data communication. The project concerns a long wavelength (LW) VCSELs operating continuous wave (CW) at room temperature, through the optimization of electrical, optical and thermal properties of the structure and to test them in a system. The intrinsic properties of VCSELs lead to specific characteristics of these devices. The volume of the active layer is around 10 times lower than in edge-emitting lasers. A reduction in the power consumption is expected as well as the possibility of operation over a wide range of temperature. The output beam has intrinsically low and circular divergence. In consequence, efficient coupling and simplified pig-tailing will contribute to the increase of positioning tolerances. Results concerning the mirror are as follows: wafer fusion demonstrated with low voltage drop at the semiconductor interface; design and first experimental assessment of structured mirrors for the polarization control of the optical beam. With respect to VCSELs design and fabrication the following has been achieved: high performance semiconductor strained compensated quantum wells (QW) demonstrated for both 1.3 and 1.5 um active layers; fully operational modelling tools available for calculation of electrical, optical and thermal VCSELs properties; basic processing steps demonstrated; fabrication of a shallow mesa structure including two different mirrors; pulsed operation up to +50 C, a minimum threshold current less than 10 mA at -50 C and an output power of 100 uW are the main features of the components. CW operation is observed up to -20 C; fabrication of undercut ridge structure including two dielectric mirrors; the devices operate in pulsed regime at room temperature with threshold current less than 10 mA, a single mode operation and 100 (W output power; CW operation up to -15 C.