Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting (VCSEL) Laser Diode Chips

Description

Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light perpendicular to the surface of the semiconductor chip. This is in contrast to traditional edge-emitting lasers, which emit light parallel to the surface of the chip.

VCSELs have several advantages over traditional edge-emitting lasers. They have a smaller footprint, consume less power, and have a narrower beam divergence, making them more suitable for applications such as fiber optic communication, laser printing, and sensing.

The basic structure of a VCSEL consists of two semiconductor mirrors sandwiching an active region that emits light when a voltage is applied. The mirrors are typically made of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), which are periodic structures that reflect light of a specific wavelength. The active region is usually a thin layer of gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) that emits light when excited by an electric field.

VCSELs can be fabricated using a variety of techniques, including molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The process involves growing multiple layers of semiconducting materials on a substrate, followed by lithography and etching to form the desired structure.

In addition to their advantages in communication and sensing applications, VCSELs have also found use in consumer electronics, such as facial recognition and depth sensing in smartphones, and optical mice for computers.

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