High Contrast Gratings (HCG) MEMS-Tunable VCSEL Compact Model

Abstract

High contrast grating (HCG) microelectromechanical structure(MEMS)-tunable VCSELs have advantages that make them promising for applications like optical coherence tomography (OCT), light detection and ranging (LIDAR), and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). Circuit simulator-compatible laser compact models can aid circuit designers in improving the performance of systems that use them. While a compact model for VCSEL already exists, it does not sufficiently describe the behavior of tunable VCSELs. This paper discusses the creation of a compact model for HCG MEMS-tunable VCSELs implemented in Verilog-A using semiconductor laser rate equations. The simulated output power, laser diode voltage, and emitted wavelength at varying applied MEMS tuning voltage of the compact model agrees with the measured values with mean percentage errors of 7.0%, 5.3%, and 0.32%, respectively.