Design and Characterization of Optically Pumped Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers
Abstract
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are a form of semiconductor laser which have their cavity oriented orthogonally to the plane of the wafer. The orientation necessitates short cavities, highly reflective mirrors and a relatively high gain/loss ratio. Even so, the resultant superior exit beam characteristics and the tight packing density of the finished lasers provide strong motivation for pursuing the growth of these structures. This thesis details the design of an optically pumped InGaAs multiple quantum well periodic gain structure VCSEL with a 950 nm lasing wavelength. These growths were to be a first attempt at VCSEL construction, so part of this study included verification of the quality of the parts of the finished design. These measurements required the construction of a laboratory configuration to optically pump VCSELs and characterize them by spectral reflectivity, output beam polarization, mode, lasing wavelength, and optimal pump wavelength. Analysis of the characteristics for several VCSELs obtained from the University of Arizona, and the back mirror grown locally, illustrate tile ability to use measured data and theoretical spectral reflectivity calculations to determine the quality of the growths.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA258815
Entities
People
- Richard J. Bagnell
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology