Highly-efficient VCSEL breaking the limit

VCSELs have become indispensable in the realms of datacenter networks and three-dimensional sensing thanks to their high-energy efficiencies, low-cost and the scalability of their two-dimensional arrays.VCSELs boast high energy-efficiency, exceeding 50% at low bias currents, superiority over edge-emitting lasers, particularly for optical interconnects within datacenter networks.However, there has been no breakthroughs in the efficiency of VCSELs for over a decade.With the swift evolution of AI clusters in datacenters and 3D-sensing for autonomous driving, where VCSELs are predominantly favored, the demand for ultra-high-efficiency VCSELs has become paramount.A team of researchers from Sichuan University and Suzhou Everbright Photonics Co., Ltd., have found a novel approach based on multiple-tunnel junctions within the active region.They demonstrated a record high-efficiency of 74% with