Fabrication of microlasers and microresonator optical switches

Scherer, Axel; Jewell, J. L.; Lee, Y. H.; Harbison, J. P.; Florez, L. T.

doi:10.1063/1.101935

Cited by 80 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This approach is quite important from a device application point of view because semiconductors can be excited electrically rather (30)(31)(32)(33).…”

Section: Spontaneous Emission Experiments With Optical Microcavitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physics and Device Applications of Optical Microcavities

Yokoyama

1992

Science

376

145

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Optical microcavities are resonators that have at least one dimension on the order of a single optical wavelength. These structures enable one to control the optical emission properties of materials placed inside them. They can, for example, modify the spatial distribution of radiation power, change the spectral width of the emitted light, and enhance or suppress the spontaneous emission rate. In addition to being attractive for studying the fundamental physics of the interaction between materials and vacuum field fluctuations, optical microcavities hold technological promise for constructing novel kinds of light-emitting devices. One of their most dramatic potential features is thresholdless lasing. In this way and others, controlled spontaneous emission is expected to play a key role in a new generation of optical devices.

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“…This approach is quite important from a device application point of view because semiconductors can be excited electrically rather (30)(31)(32)(33).…”

Section: Spontaneous Emission Experiments With Optical Microcavitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physics and Device Applications of Optical Microcavities

Yokoyama

1992

Science

376

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first demonstration of a monolithic VCSEL was achieved with an etched air-post structure [58]. Anisotropic dry etching techniques, such as chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE) [59] or reactive ion etching (RIE) [60], make possible the fabrication of pillar structures with small cross-section areas and smooth vertical sidewalls. Strong index guiding is present in an air-post structure because of the large index step at the interface between semiconductor and air.…”

Section: A Air-post Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design, fabrication, and performance of infrared and visible vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Chow

Choquette

Crawford

et al. 1997

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

208

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Abstract-This paper discusses the issues involving the design and fabrication of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's). A review of the basic experimental structures is given, with emphasis on recent developments in distributed Bragg reflectors, gain media, as well as current and optical confinement techniques. The paper describes present VCSEL performance, in particular, those involving selective oxidation and visible wavelength operation.

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“…The distributed Bragg reflector ͑DBR͒ mirrors used to provide longitudinal optical confinement have enabled the study of microcavity optical phenomena and are critical to VCSEL performance. In the transverse direction, optical and electrical confinement is commonly achieved using etched air-post index-guided structures, 1 or ion implanted ''gain-guided'' devices. 2 Recently, oxides formed from AlGaAs layers have been implemented into both edge emitting 3 and verticalcavity laser diodes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cavity characteristics of selectively oxidized vertical-cavity lasers

Choquette

Lear

Schneider

et al. 1995

Applied Physics Letters

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We show that a buried oxide layer forming a current aperture in an all epitaxial vertical-cavity surface emitting laser has a profound influence on the optical and electrical characteristics of the device. The lateral index variation formed around the oxide current aperture leads to a shift in the cavity resonance wavelength. The resonance wavelength under the oxide layer can thus be manipulated, independent of the as-grown cavity resonance, by adjusting the oxide layer thickness and its placement relative to the active region. In addition, the electrical confinement afforded by the oxide layer enables record low threshold current densities and threshold voltages in these lasers. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.Vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers ͑VCSELs͒ are of interest from both scientific and technological points of view. The distributed Bragg reflector ͑DBR͒ mirrors used to provide longitudinal optical confinement have enabled the study of microcavity optical phenomena and are critical to VCSEL performance. In the transverse direction, optical and electrical confinement is commonly achieved using etched air-post index-guided structures, 1 or ion implanted ''gain-guided'' devices. 2 Recently, oxides formed from AlGaAs layers have been implemented into both edge emitting 3 and verticalcavity laser diodes. 4 -7 We report optical and electrical properties of VCSELs fabricated using selective lateral oxidation to produce a buried oxide layer which forms a current aperture within an all semiconductor DBR mirror. We show that the buried oxide layer has profound implications, leading to new optical phenomena in the cavity as well as significant advances in VCSEL performance.The selectively oxidized VCSEL structure 6 is shown in Fig. 1. VCSEL diodes employing an oxide layer under a hybrid top dielectric DBR mirror have also been reported. 4,5 The VCSELs described herein are grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy and employ three InGaAs quantum wells designed to emit near 980 nm with parabolically graded mirror interfaces in the epitaxial DBRs. 8 The high oxidation selectivity of AlGaAs alloys 6 is exploited to form a single buried oxide layer between the active region and the top DBR as depicted in Fig. 1. Square mesas are reactive ion etched to expose the edge of the quarter-wavelength thick AlGaAs layer for lateral oxidation done at 425-450°C in water vapor. The AlGaAs layer is partially oxidized laterally into the interior of the mesa to form a current aperture. The oxide current aperture thus minimizes current spreading and eliminates sidewall nonradiative recombination or implantation damage present in air-post or implanted structures, respectively. The smaller refractive index of the oxide layer 9 also induces index-guided optical confinement, but in a planar VCSEL configuration amenable to efficient current flow and heat extraction. Greater optical and electrical confinement is achieved by employing current aperture oxide layers on both sides of the active region. Finally contrary to other reports...

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Fabrication of microlasers and microresonator optical switches

Cited by 80 publications

References 10 publications

Physics and Device Applications of Optical Microcavities

Physics and Device Applications of Optical Microcavities

Design, fabrication, and performance of infrared and visible vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Cavity characteristics of selectively oxidized vertical-cavity lasers

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