Efficient double intracavity-contacted vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with very low-threshold and low-power dissipation designed for cryogenic applications

Efficient continuous wave operation of oxide-confined double intracavity-contacted InGaAs-GaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL´s) with low-threshold voltage, low-threshold current and low-power dissipation has been achieved over a wide range of cryogenic temperatures (77 K-250 K). Low operating voltages were obtained by routing current through two intracavity contacts to bypass both distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors, while lower optical losses were achieved by using undoped DBR mirrors with abrupt heterointerfaces. This resulted in low operating voltages (<1.5 V), submilliampere threshold currents (I/sub th//spl sim/0.15 mA), low-power dissipation (/spl sim/0.21 mW at threshold) and a high power conversion efficiency (/spl eta//sub eff/=31%).