We report the design, fabrication and characterization of oxide-confined large-area rectangular-shaped VCSELs
that emit a single higher-order transverse mode. The mode selection mechanism is based on an inverted surface
relief. In this method, extra losses are induced by a quarter-wavelength-thick antiphase layer, into which a
multi-spot pattern is etched in a single step. The main parameters that control the selected mode, such as the
threshold gain and the three-dimensional confinement factor, are calculated as a function of the active aperture
dimensions for various structures, patterns, and aspect ratios, aiming to achieve single-higher-order transverse
mode emission. Based on the design rules, 850 nm wavelength top-emitting GaAs/AlGaAs VCSELs have been
fabricated and characterized. Devices with an aperture area of about 6 × 68 μm2 show high output powers of 12
mW in the (8, 1) order mode and differential resistances of only 18 ohms. In addition, the asymmetric transverse
cavity can be used to achieve oscillation on a single polarization. Optical manipulation of micro-particles is a
promising biophotonic application area for the investigated VCSELs. In an optical tweezers setup, a multi-spot
VCSEL is positioned under an angle of about 25 degrees with respect to the fluidic flow direction. Lateral all-optical
deflection of flowing 10 μm diameter polystyrene particles is achieved, which is of particular interest for
non-mechanical sorting in a microfluidic chip. With the multi-spot VCSEL, the distance between the intensity
spots is 9 μm, which cannot be easily achieved with conventional linear VCSEL arrays. Trapping and stacking
of polystyrene microspheres are also shown.
We report on the theoretical analysis and fabrication of a novel type of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser
(VCSEL) that provides selection of a certain higher-order transverse mode. This selection is based on a spatial
variation of the threshold gain by adding an antiphase layer with an etched relief structure. The field intensity
profile emitted from this laser is calculated numerically as well as with an analytical approach. The main factors
that control the selected mode such as the threshold gain, the confinement factor, and the phase parameter are
calculated as a function of the active aperture, aiming to achieve single higher-order transverse mode emission.
For a given aspect ratio of a rectangular oxide aperture, the threshold gain difference between the selected
and neighboring modes is maximized via the relief diameter and the size of the aperture. The fabrication
process involves selective etching of the antiphase layer, passivation of the relief, oxidation of an AlAs layer to
the desired aperture after reaching this layer using wet-chemical etching. N- and p-metalization processes are
applied, followed by polyimide passivation. Finally, bondpad metalization is carried out for electrical contacting.
Mode selection is successfully achieved. Attractive applications for such devices are found in optical manipulation
of micro-particles such as sorting and separation.
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