We describe the properties of novel blue-green sources based on intracavity frequency doubling of the Novalux family of high-brightness infrared surface-emitting lasers. They are highly compact, efficient, reliable, stable and manufacturable, capable of emitting over 40-mW cw power at 488 nm and other custom wavelengths in the range 460-532 nm with single frequency and single-spatial mode.
We describe the design, fabrication and performance of novel, electrically pumped, vertical compound cavity 976nm InGaAs lasers that emit at 488nm via intracavity second harmonic generation. The resulting light source is an ideal replacement for Ar-ion lasers used in a wide variety of bio-analytical instruments. We present characterization data for the laser to demonstrate its capabilities. Lastly, future directions for the technology are discussed, including a monolithic form and devices operating at 460 and 532nm.
We describe design and performance of novel, electrically pumped, vertical compound cavity semiconductor lasers emitting at 980 nm. The laser combines a vertical cavity semiconductor laser with a partially reflecting output coupler and an external cavity for mode control. The concept is scalable and has been demonstrated in monolithic low power (few miliwatts) devices all the way to high power extended cavity devices which generate over 950 mW CW multimode power and 0.5 W CW power in a TEM00 mode, the latter with 90% coupling efficiency into a single mode telecommunication fiber. The concept has been applied to the development of uncooled lasers, mounted in TO-56 cans, capable of producing 50 to 100 mW of fiber-coupled power. We have also demonstrated the extended cavity lasers at wavelengths of 920 nm and 1064 nm. We present reliability data for the chips used in the extended cavity lasers.
We have developed novel electrically pumped, surface-emitting lasers emitting at 980 nm with an extended coupled cavity. The concept is scalable from monolithic low power (~10 mW) devices all the way to high power extended cavity lasers. The latter have demonstrated ~1 W cw multi-mode and 0.5 W cw in a TEM00 mode and a single frequency, with 90% coupling efficiency into a single-mode fiber. By inserting a nonlinear optical medium in the external cavity, efficient and compact frequency doubling has been achieved with CW output powers 5-40 mW demonstrated at 490 nm. The latter devices are especially noteworthy due to their very low noise (0.05% rms from dc-2 MHz), sub 10 mrad beam pointing stability combined with small size, low power consumption (<10 W) and high efficiency.
We describe a novel blue-green laser platform, based on the intracavity frequency doubling of Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers. We have demonstrated 5 to 40mW of single-ended, 488nm, single-longitudinal mode emission with beam quality M2<1.2. The optical quality of these lasers matches that of gas lasers; their compactness and efficiency exceed ion, DPSS, and OPSL platforms. These unique properties are designed to serve diverse instrumentation markets such as bio-medical, semiconductor inspection, reprographics, imaging, etc., and to enable new applications. We also present data on the reliability of this novel laser platform and its extensions to different wavelengths (in particular, 460nm and 532nm) and to next-generation, highly compact, monolithic intracavity-doubled lasers.
We have developed novel electrically pumped, surface-emitting lasers emitting at 980 nm with an extended coupled cavity. The concept is scalable from monolithic low power devices all the way to high power extended cavity lasers. The latter have demonstrated 1W cw multi-mode and 0.5 W cw in a TEM00 mode and a single frequency, with 90% coupling efficiency into a single-mode fiber. By inserting a nonlinear optical medium in the external cavity, efficient and compact frequency doubling has been achieved with CW output powers 5-40 mW demonstrated at 490 nm. The latter devices are especially noteworthy due to their very low noise, sub 10 μrad beam pointing stability combined with small size, low power consumption and high efficiency.
We describe design, fabrication and performance of novel, electrically pumped, vertical compound cavity InGaAs lasers emitting at 980 and 920 nm. The concept is scalable and has been demonstrated using monolithic low power (~10 mW) devices all the way to high power extended cavity devices which have demonstrated 1 W cw multi-mode and 0.5 W cw in a TEM00 mode and a single frequency, with 90% coupling efficiency into a single-mode fiber. We also describe uncooled vertical compound cavity lasers in TO-56 can packages which produce 50-100 mW of fiber coupled power. Finally, recent developments in intracavity frequency doubling are summarized.
Eva Strzelecka, Robert Morgan, Yue Liu, B. Walterson, J. Skogen, Edith Kalweit, S. Bounak, H. Chanhvongsak, Terry Marta, D. Skogman, Jim Nohava, J. Gieske, John Lehman, Mary Hibbs-Brenner
We present characteristics of 850-nm oxide confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) developed for applications in optical parallel data links and free- space optical interconnects. Low threshold currents of less than 200 (mu) A, wall-plug efficiencies approaching 30%, operating voltages of less than 2 V for 1 mW of optical power, and operation over a wide temperature range, up to 190 degree(s)C, are demonstrated. We optimized VCSEL arrays for operation at elevated temperatures for use in dense free- space interconnects. Excellent performance uniformity-optical power of 1 +/- 0.1 mW at a drive current of 3 mA-across a 20 X 20 array was achieved at 75 degree(s)C. We integrated 2D top emitting VCSEL arrays with top- illuminated metal-semiconductor-metal detectors for future use with CMOS integrated circuits. We discuss design issues encountered in VCSEL-based modules for optical interconnects.
Recent results from the authors group are summarized as a general indicator of the current state of the art in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). These include results from engineered-aperture VCSELs with high wall-plug efficiencies at low powers, high-efficiency bottom-emitting cryo-VCSELs with wavelengths < 900 nm, low-threshold AlGaInAs VCSELs emitting at 850 nm, and arrays of VCSELs used in parallel free-space links as well as WDM arrays butt-coupled to multimode fiber. Analysis indicates that size-dependent losses limit the scaling of VCSELs below 5 micrometers in diameter unless special engineered apertures and/or short cavities are used. The analysis also shows that lateral carrier confinement is necessary to obtain efficient devices below 2 micrometers in diameter.
The rapid pace of advances in vertical-cavity surface- emitting lasers (VCSELs) has continued over the past couple of years. The widespread use of dielectric apertures formed primarily by lateral oxidation has provided much lower cavity losses, and this has enables a large decrease in device threshold as well as an increase in efficiency. The lowest optical losses have been obtained with thin or tapered oxide apertures. Within the past year, new strained- layer materials such as AlGaInAs have been incorporated to extend the benefits of strain to the 850 nm wavelength range. A record threshold of 290 (mu) A at 840 nm has been obtained. Devices have been designed for ultra-wide operating temperature ranges by using gain from different quantum levels at different temperatures. Submilliamp thresholds from 77 K to 373 K were demonstrated. The inclusion of low-loss dielectric apertures in wafer-bonded 1.55 micrometer InP/GaAs has yielded VCSELs with submilliamp thresholds for the first time. In addition, there has been considerable effort in making VCSEL arrays for parallel or free-space interconnect applications. Multiple wavelength arrays for even denser interconnects or wavelength addressing schemes have also been explored. In this paper we review some of this recent progress and point out issues still inhibiting further advances.
We present a technique for monolithic integration of vertical cavity lasers and detectors with refractive microlenses etched on the back side of the semiconductor substrate in a wafer-scale process. This integration provides collimated or focused laser beam sources for applications in free-space interconnections or for coupling to optical fibers, and it improves the collection efficiency of detectors.
This wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) architecture employs a number of dispersion compensated gratings in a guided-wave structure to perform the major functions of wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing. The characteristic performance analysis, including wavelength dispersion, effect of beam divergence, and power budget are presented.
A compact crossbar switch array based on matrix-vector multiplication is proposed. The crossbar is composed of beam splitting and beam combining holographic structures in substrate mode waveguides and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator. A design of a 4 X 4 crossbar is presented.
A high resolution Integrated Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexer (WDM) has been successfully developed to increase optical fiber communication capacity through wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing. The Integrated Optical WDM uses multiple gratings to deflect different wavelengths from one multiple wavelength optical input into many different directions. Each pre-recorded grating deflects one and only one wavelength to an arbitrary but pre-determined angle. The planar optical waveguide with a holographic grating was fabricated monolithically through the standard ion-exchange process. A layer of holographic material (DCG) was then spun on top of the planar waveguide. Finally a phase grating was created by interfering two Argon laser beams on the substrate''s surface. The angle (23) between the two Argon beams and the glass substrate orientation angle (4) completely determines the wavelength selection characteristic. An optical signal interacts with the holographic gratings evanescently when light is propagating in the waveguide. Due to the device geometry the light-hologram interaction length can be made very long. The long interaction length ( coupled with the large index modulation depth of DCG (En 1) will dramatically increase the wavelength selection resolution and deflection angle resolution. Presently a 7 channel WDM with 6nm channel separation and 6 angular separation has been achieved. Theoretical studies showed that hundreds of channels with extremely narrow wavelength selectivity resolution (mm) and deflection angle resolution (0. 2) are achievable with a 1mm interaction length. With an even longer interaction both number of channels and resolution can be increased by another order of magnitude.
A novel optical interconnect technology is presented. It combines single mode waveguides with multiplexed volume waveguide holograms to provide a highly parallel, very wide bandwidth system for VLSI, computer board or backplane computer interconects. Interconnect density and system performance are analyzed. Experimental results of a 1-to-20 waveguide interconnection are presented.
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