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Content archived on 2024-05-29

Monomode Surface Emitting Lasers

Project description

Photonic components

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) have several particular advantages over the edge emitting lasers (EEL) for replacing them in optical communications applications, as the possibility of wafer-level testing during the fabrication process as well as facilitated optical coupling and overall module packaging. Nevertheless, several major improvements should be brought to the existing VCSELs before they become widely used in high speed optical datacom links. Among existing limitations, a limited power delivered by high speed (10 Gbit/s and up) transversely monomode VCSELs. This limitation is a key issue for the introduction of VCSELs in FTTx devices, especially in Passive Optical Networks where the power launched into the fiber must be rather high. Hence, mode size and polarization control are key issues in design of high performance VCSELs. Introducing elements of photonic crystal is an efficient way to increase the mode size while maintaining or even improving operating characteristics.In the present project, we aim to achieve an overall improvement of the VCSELs performances using micro and nanoscale patterning. The novel cavity configurations explored will allow:to increase the size (and thus the power) of the fundamental transverse mode of the VCSEL;to keep the laser transversely monomode at much larger current ranges;through the latter, to improve the modulation speed of the lasers;to control the polarisation of the emitted beam in temperature range and under modulation.Two general geometrical configurations, patterning of the mirrors and patterning of the cavity close to the active layer will be explored.The objective of the project is to demonstrate a configuration of the vertical cavity that would allow a 10-fold improvement in the monomode powers over the conventional VCSEL structures operating at 850, 1310 and 1550 nm. This improvement should be obtained while keeping appreciable modulation speed (10 Gbit/s) and a single polarisation.

Call for proposal

FP6-2005-IST-5
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

COMMISSARIAT A L' ENERGIE ATOMIQUE
EU contribution
€ 701 881,00
Address
17 rue des martyrs
F-38054 Grenoble
France

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Total cost
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Participants (7)