Scalable High-CW-Power High-Speed 980-nm VCSEL Arrays

Scalable 980-nm oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays capable of both high output power and high modulation frequency have been fabricated and characterized. DC measurement of an array with 28 elements shows that the array operates at continuous wave (CW) powers over 200 mW at a bias current of 875 mA. AC frequency response and pulse measurements of the array give a maximum 3 dB bandwidth of 7.6 GHz and gain-switched output pulses as short as 60 ps full-width at half-maximum. Uniform current and temperature distributions verified by the radial dependence of bandwidth and wavelength show that copper plating of the array elements and flip-chip bonding provide effective thermal management for the arrays.