Abstract

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are key optoelectronic devices in high-performance computing, data centers, and in-building networks. The performance of such lasers depends on the epitaxial as well as on the geometrical design. To develop and optimize next-generation VCSELs with data rates of 28 Gbit/s and above, accurate knowledge about current flow and heat generation inside the device is inevitable. High internal temperatures T are a major problem, causing, e.g., a drop in conversion efficiency and reduced lifetimes. T easily rises since (1) higher-speed lasers need higher currents to reach the required bandwidth and (2) active cooling is not permitted due to the involved power dissipation and cost. In VCSEL modeling, advanced three-dimensional (3D) vectorial methods exist to handle the wave propagation problem in the cavity, whereas the electrical model is often much simplified [1]. Electro-thermal modeling is particularly impeded by the hundreds of heterojunctions in the distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and the multiple-quantum-well inner cavity [2].

© 2015 IEEE