Ec. Vail et al., HIGH-PERFORMANCE AND NOVEL EFFECTS OF MICROMECHANICAL TUNABLE VERTICAL-CAVITY LASERS, IEEE journal of selected topics in quantum electronics, 3(2), 1997, pp. 691-697
Widely continuously tunable sources are key elements for many applicat
ions. This paper discusses the first integrated laser able to continuo
usly tune its wavelength more than 1%: the micromechanical tunable ver
tical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). These devices have demons
trated up 19.1 nm of continuous tuning, threshold currents as low as 4
60 mu A, and powers as high as 0.9 mW. In addition to these results, t
his paper discusses the tuning speed, lifetime, and applicability as a
new broad-band source of these devices. Despite mechanical tuning, sp
eeds of mu s are possible and long lifetime is expected. A detailed co
nsideration of the design and fabrication of these devices is performe
d. Finally, an interesting mode switching effect is presented.