Abstract

Innovations in the design and growth of distributed Bragg reflectors or mirrors for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) has substantially reduced the voltage drops in these devices, leading to improved performance,¹,² However, further progress is required to make VCSELs more competitive with conventional edge- emitting lasers, especially as quantified by power conversion efficiency. For all epitaxial VCSELs that rely on current paths through the mirrors to improve, mirrors must be developed that simultaneously minimize electrical and thermal resistance, as well as absorption losses. We have examined five continuously graded mirror designs in this context and incorporated one design into low voltage VCSELs grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE).

© 1994 Optical Society of America