Monolithic integration of an array of multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity lasers with a refractive microlens for optical interconnections

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are very promising for data transmission in fiber links and free-space optical interconnections. Recently, a new method for fabricating arrays of multiple-wavelength VCSELs has been demonstrated. In this paper, we present integration of a closely-spaced array of these multiple-wavelength VCSELs with a single refractive microlens. With a microlens designed for collimation the output beams had a far-field divergence half-angle of <0.85/spl deg/. We show that these devices are suitable for wavelength-multiplexed free-space interconnects as well as for coupling into multimode fibers.