TUNNEL-JUNCTION-CONNECTED DISTRIBUTED-FEEDBACK VERTICAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING LASER

An injection distributed-feedback vertical-cavity surface-emitting las er (VCSEL) with tunnel junctions served as quasi-Ohmic intercontacts ( tunnel-junction-connected distributed-feedback VCSEL) is proposed. A p eriodic structure of vertically stacked double-heterostructure laser d iodes connected by low-resistance tunnel junctions forms a vertical di stributed-feedback (DFB) laser medium. To minimize the threshold, the DFB structure is placed in a Fabry-Perot cavity designed to match gain layers with the maximums of the optical mode, and the tunnel junction s-with its minimums. The passive regions with tunnel junctions provide effective vertical injection into each active region of this multiple -active-region laser. This DFB VCSEL is expected to have an improved p erformance, specifically, reduced threshold current and heightened out put power. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.