VCSEL Explained

[madmacmo]

VCSEL = Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers.

From Wikipedia - Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

VCSELs have high performance and low cost advantages. The key features are:
• The structure can be integrated in two-dimensional array configuration.
• Low threshold currents enable high-density arrays.
• Surface-normal emission and nearly identical to the photo detector geometry give easy alignment and packaging.
• Circular and low divergence output beams eliminate the need for corrective optics.
• Passive versus active fiber alignment, combined with high fiber-coupling efficiency.
• Low-cost potential because the devices are completed and tested at the wafer level.
• Lower temperature-sensitivity compared to edge-emitting laser diodes.
• High transmission speed with low power consumption.


VCSEL Technology Power Point Tutorial by Michael Lebby - requires MS Power Point

I also found the video below to be most interesting and informative concerning the technical description, layered composition, and operation of VCSEL design based lasers. It was uploaded 12/30/11 by Fiberoptics4sale.com

Fiberoptics4sale.com also has a plethora of fiber optic and related laser diode technical documents and tutorials posted here:
Fiber Optic Cable Installation Training & Tutorials - FAQ, Tips & News

 

[RedCowboy]

Anyone know what these are used in, or know if these may be used in future products that we can repurpose?

 

[diachi]

Anyone know what these are used in, or know if these may be used in future products that we can repurpose?

Looks like one use is in SFCs and GBICs - as per the thread on those and their power output:

http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data Sheets/Finisar/HFE7192-xxx.pdf

 

[OVNI]

Looks like one use is in SFCs and GBICs - as per the thread on those and their power output:

http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data Sheets/Finisar/HFE7192-xxx.pdf

Googling I found research is being done to make them tunable. Here's one article:
http://praevium.com/wptest_v1/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2015-JLT-JohnJayaraman-Wideband-Electrically-Pumped-1050-nm-MEMS-Tunable-VCSEL-for-Ophthalmic-Imaging.pdf

This one is NIR (~1010nm to 1070nm) so I wonder if these can be put through a (frequency) doubler (like DPSS 532nm lasers) to get ~505nm to 535nm. That would look pretty nice!

OVNI

 

[paul1598419]

Thanks again, Mac. I always look forward to something you have found.

 

[ultimatekaiser]

yeah, he does a pretty good explaination of it. I have one of these, a modified version (called a VECSEL diode) is how Laserman's protera, and my lab 488 work-using a VECSEL (an external cavity version of the diode) to go through a doubler, and output the doubled wavelength (referred to as a DECSL). very expensive and fancy stuff, and is/was a competing technology with what is now OPSL lasers. They were very popular for a time for their lower cost than OPSL, due to a much simpler build structure and lower power requirements, as well as the fact that they have in incredible lifetime/reliability, easily surpassing 20,000+ hours in nearly all cases. at 20 degrees C power dissipation is markedly at less than 6W for the entire head according to the specs - which is not unbelievable at all.