Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with low-ripple optical pump bands

We have used multilayer mirror optimization methods to enhance the coupling of pump light into vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). With previously reported devices, pump light was coupled into VCSEL cavities through interference notches in the mirror reflectance spectrum. This approach is sensitive to temperature dependent reflectance spectrum shifts. We have created devices with a wide pump-band window of low reflectance. We report the simulation, growth, and optically pumped lasing of such optimized low-ripple VCSELs. Further, broadband pump windows open the possibility of spectrally-broad optical pumps and they eliminate need for costly tunable pump lasers.