Impact of in-plane anisotropic strain on the polarization behavior of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We experimentally demonstrate that the presence of switching between two fu ndamental modes with orthogonal linear polarization in vertical-cavity surf ace-emitting lasers and the current at which this phenomenon occurs depend on both the magnitude and the orientation of an externally induced in-plane anisotropic strain. We interpret this behavior by considering the anisotro py in gain and in refractive index, both induced by the in-plane strain, an d by accounting for a redshift of the two gain curves as a result of curren t-induced heating. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)0 2237-3].