Room-temperature DBR-free VCSEL operation on an InGaN/GaN thin-film platform with a monolithic surface grating

Abstract

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are pivotal in various applications ranging from data communication to sensing technologies. This study introduces a VCSEL design featuring a monolithic top surface high contrast grating (HCG) reflector on a thin-film substrate, aimed at improving lasing performance while reducing fabrication costs by omitting the use of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). We fabricated the proposed VCSEL with the surface grating and characterized its performance through micro-photoluminescence measurements. The laser demonstrated room-temperature lasing at 436.2 nm with a Q factor of 4600 and a lasing threshold of 5.5 kW/cm2 under optical pumping. The implementation of the surface grating reflector was instrumental in facilitating vertical lasing, significantly improving surface reflectivity compared to conventional flat GaN/air interfaces. This innovative design holds significant promise for the development of cost-effective, DBR-free VCSELs, with potential applications extending to photonic integrated circuits and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems.