Research in Free-Space Interconnects Using Micro-Cavity Lasers
Abstract
The development of vertical cavity lasers (VCL) for the application to free-space interconnects has been proposed. The need for such free-space interconnects arises from the demand for high-speed data transmission between parallel signal planes. Conventional methods for accomplishing high-speed data transmission suffers from the high power required to drive the transmitter laser array, and the lack of a 2-dimensional geometry leads to scalability problems for an in-plane laser array. In order to keep the laser power consumption low the threshold current of the lasers should be less than 100 microampere. Furthermore, the density of transmission elements must be increased in order to increase the transmission bandwidth. In order to reduce the power requirement of the lasers, the size of the laser must be reduced. Unfortunately, several problems arise which prohibit the ideal scaling of the VCL size to small dimensions, these being, optical scattering loss and carrier diffusion loss. The optical and carrier based loss mechanisms can be addressed and the ideal VCL scaling can be approached. Through novel VCL design and processing, loss mechanisms can be reduced and the efficiency of the of the device can be greatly increased. This is essential for the application to VCL based interconnects. The VCL is ideal for the application to free-space interconnects due to the natural 2-dimensional array formation. Furthermore, the VCL emission wavelength can be tailored to allow for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) type transmission which will greatly increase the transmission bandwidth.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 14, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA378717
Entities
People
- L.A. Coldren
Organizations
- University of California, Santa Barbara