Measurement of the Intrinsic Parameters of Single-Mode VCSELs

A complete characterization of the working parameters of a long-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is presented. A technique is described for extracting values for the parameters of semiconductor laser rate equations based on simple expressions for the laser power and linewidth as a function of the bias current. The differential carrier lifetime at threshold is estimated by using the linear relation between the laser linewidth and the bias current that is obtained for below threshold operation. High resolution CW optical spectrum measurements are performed to apply this technique for extraction of the parameters of a 1550-nm single-transverse mode VCSEL. Intensity noise spectrum analysis is used to complete our parameter extraction procedure and to compare with parameter values obtained from laser linewidth measurements.