High-contrast grating VCSELs and applications (Conference Presentation)

Recent progress of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) using high contrast grating (HCG) and their applications will be reviewed. A typical electrically-pumped VCSEL consists of two oppositely doped distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) with a cavity layer in between. This conventional design requires epitaxy that is 6-8 micron thick having 0.1% precision in composition and thickness. Replacing the top DBR with a single layer, ultra-thin high contrast grating not only drastically increases the epitaxy and processing yield, but enables a wide and continuous wavelength swept. We will discuss recent progress of electrically-pumped, tunable VCSELs emitting at 850-nm, 940-nm, 1060-nm, 1300-nm and 1550-nm. New applications in optical coherence tomography, 3D sensing and LIDAR will be discussed.