99 fJ/(bit·km) Energy to Data-Distance Ratio at 17 Gb/s Across 1 km of Multimode Optical Fiber With 850-nm Single-Mode VCSELs

We present extremely energy-efficient oxide-confined 850-nm single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for optical interconnects. Error-free transmission at 17 Gb/s across 1 km of multimode optical fiber is achieved with an ultra-low energy-to-data ratio of 99 fJ/bit, corresponding to a record-low energy-to-data-distance ratio of 99 fJ/(bit ·km). This performance is achieved without changing any of the driving parameters up to 55°C. To date our VCSELs are the most energy-efficient directly modulated light-sources for data transmission across all distances up to 1 km of multimode optical fiber.