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High-Power VCSEL Arrays

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VCSELs

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 166))

Abstract

We review recent developments on high-power , high-efficiency two-dimensional vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays emitting around 808 and 980 nm. Selectively oxidized, bottom-emitting single VCSEL emitters with 50% power conversion efficiency were developed as the basic building block of these arrays . More than 230 W of continuous-wave (CW) power is demonstrated from a \(5\,\hbox{mm} \,{\times}\, 5\,\hbox{mm} \) array chip. In quasi-CW mode, smaller array chips exhibit 100 W output power, corresponding to more than \(3.5\,\hbox{kW}/\hbox{cm}^{2}\) of power-density. High-brightness VCSEL pumps have been developed, delivering a fiber output power of 40 W, corresponding to a brightness close to \(50\,\hbox{kW}/(\hbox{cm}^{2}\, \hbox{sr}).\) High-energy VCSEL arrays in the milli-Joule range have also been developed. Many of the advantages of low-power single VCSEL devices such as reliability , wavelength stability, low-divergence circular beam, and low-cost manufacturing are preserved for these high-power arrays . VCSELs thus offer an attractive alternative to the dominant edge-emitter technology for many applications requiring compact high-power laser sources.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A similar approach for optimizing the VCSEL operating point was presented in [37], albeit with a slightly different formulation. In particular, the authors consider the dependence of the “electrical confinement factor” (which is essentially the internal quantum efficiency ) on the output mirror reflectivity. We found this dependence negligeable for our devices and therefore tend to ignore it, as it greatly simplifies the analysis.

  2. 2.

    For a given device, the expression for the operating current at the maximum PCE can be derived as \(I_{e,m}=I_{th}(1+\sqrt{1+\alpha}),\) and can also be obtained directly from the derivative analysis of the electrical characteristics. Also, it can be seen that—within the approximations of the present analysis—a laser’s point of maximum PCE will always occur at a drive current greater than twice the threshold current .

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge his colleagues at Princeton Optronics who have contributed to the work summarized in this chapter. This work was supported in part by the DARPA program on Super High Efficiency Diode Sources (SHEDS), contract # HR0011-04-C-0139.

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  1. Princeton Optronics, 1 Electronics Drive, Mercerville, NJ, 08619, USA

    Jean-François P. Seurin

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Correspondence to Jean-François P. Seurin .

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  1. , Institute of Optoelectronics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, Ulm, 89081, Germany

    Rainer Michalzik

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Seurin, JF.P. (2013). High-Power VCSEL Arrays. In: Michalzik, R. (eds) VCSELs. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 166. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24986-0_8

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