Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) areattractive as potential inexpensive high-performance emittersfor fibre-optical communication systems. Their surface-normalemission together with the small dimensions are beneficial forlow-cost fabrication since it allows on-wafer testing,simplified packaging and effective fibre-coupling. Forhigh-speed data transmission up to hundreds of metres, 850-nmVCSELs are today the technology of choice. For higher bandwidthand longer distance networks, emission at long-wavelength(1.3-1.55 µm) is required. Long-wavelength VCSELs are,however, not available since no materials system offershigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) as wellas high-gain active regions at such wavelengths.High-performance DBRs may be built up from AlGaAs/GaAsmultilayers, but long wavelength quantum wells (QWs) are onlywell established in the InP system. Therefore, the bestperforming devices have relied on wafer-fusion betweenInP-based QWs and AlGaAs-DBRs. More recently, however, the mainefforts have been shifted towards all-epitaxial GaAs-baseddevices, employing 1.3-µm GaInNAs QWs. In this thesis, different processing technologies forlong-wavelength VCSELs are described. This includes a thoroughinvestigation of wafer-fusion between InP and GaAs regardingelectro-optical as well as metallurgical properties, and thedevelopment of a stable low-pressure process for the selectiveoxidation of AlAs. Optimised AlGaAs/GaAs DBRs were designed andfabricated. An important and striking observation from thatstudy is that n-type doping potentially is much moredetrimental to device performance than previously anticipated.These investigations were exploited in the realisation of twonew VCSEL designs. Near-room-temperature continuous-waveoperation of a single-fused 1.55-µm VCSEL was obtained.This demonstrated the potential of InGaAsP/InP DBRs inhigh-performance VCSELs, but also revealed a high sensitivityto self-heating. Further efforts were therefore directedtowards all-epitaxial GaAs-based structures. This resulted in ahigh-performance 1215-nm VCSEL with a highly strained InGaAssingle QW. This can be viewed as a basis for longer-wavelengthVCSELs, i.e., with an emission wavelength approaching 1300 nm,either by an extensive device detuning or with GaInNAs QWs. <b>Keywords</b>: VCSEL, vertical cavity laser, semiconductorlaser, long-wavelength, DBR, oxidation, wafer fusion, InGaAs,semiconductor processing

Vertical cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest aslow-cost, high-performance light sources for fiber-opticcommunication systems. They have a number of advantages overconventional edge-emitting lasers, including low powerconsumption, efficient fiber coupling and wafer scalemanufacturing/testing. For high-speed data transmission overdistances up to a few hundred meters, VCLs (or arrays of VCLs)operating at 850 nm wavelength is today the technology ofchoice. While multimode fibers are successfully used in theseapplications, higher transmission bandwidth and longerdistances require single-mode fibres and longer wavelengths(1.3-1.55 µm). However, long-wavelength VCLs are as yetnot commercially available since no traditional materialssystem offers the required combination of bothhigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) andhigh-gain active regions. Earlier work on long-wavelength VCLshas therefore focused on hybrid techniques, such as waferfusion between InP-based QWs and AlGaAs DBRs, but more recentlythe main interest in this field has shifted towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-µmactive materials. Among these, strained GaInNAs/GaAs QWs aregenerally considered one of the most promising approaches andhave received a great deal of interest. The aim of this thesis is to investigate monolithicGaAs-based long-wavelength (&gt;1.2 µm) VCLs with InGaAsor GaInNAs QW active regions. Laser structures - or partsthereof - have been grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy(MOVPE) and characterized by various techniques, such ashigh-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence(PL), atomic force microscopy, and secondary ion massspectroscopy (SIMS). High accuracy reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs DBRs than previously anticipated. Asystematic investigation was also made of the deleteriouseffects of buried Al-containing layers, such as AlGaAs DBRs, onthe optical and structural properties of subsequently grownGaInNAs QWs. Both these problems, with their potential bearingon VCL fabrication, are reduced by lowering the DBR growthtemperature. Record-long emission wavelength InGaAs VCLs were fabricatedusing an extensive gain-cavity detuning. The cavity resonancecondition just below 1270 nm wavelength occurs at the farlong-wavelength side of the gain curve. Still, the gain is highenough to yield threshold currents in the low mA-regime and amaximum output power exceeding 1 mW, depending on devicediameter. Direct modulation experiments were performed on1260-nm devices at 10 Gb/s in a back-to-back configuration withopen, symmetric eye diagrams, indicating their potential foruse in high-speed transmission applications. These devices arein compliance with the wavelength requirements of emerging10-Gb/s Ethernet and SONET OC-192 standards and may turn out tobe a viable alternative to GaInNAs VCLs. <b>Keywords:</b>GaInNAs, InGaAs, quantum wells, MOVPE, MOCVD,vertical cavity laser, VCSEL, long-wavelength, epitaxy, XRD,DBR

<p>Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) areattractive as potential inexpensive high-performance emittersfor fibre-optical communication systems. Their surface-normalemission together with the small dimensions are beneficial forlow-cost fabrication since it allows on-wafer testing,simplified packaging and effective fibre-coupling. Forhigh-speed data transmission up to hundreds of metres, 850-nmVCSELs are today the technology of choice. For higher bandwidthand longer distance networks, emission at long-wavelength(1.3-1.55 µm) is required. Long-wavelength VCSELs are,however, not available since no materials system offershigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) as wellas high-gain active regions at such wavelengths.High-performance DBRs may be built up from AlGaAs/GaAsmultilayers, but long wavelength quantum wells (QWs) are onlywell established in the InP system. Therefore, the bestperforming devices have relied on wafer-fusion betweenInP-based QWs and AlGaAs-DBRs. More recently, however, the mainefforts have been shifted towards all-epitaxial GaAs-baseddevices, employing 1.3-µm GaInNAs QWs.</p><p>In this thesis, different processing technologies forlong-wavelength VCSELs are described. This includes a thoroughinvestigation of wafer-fusion between InP and GaAs regardingelectro-optical as well as metallurgical properties, and thedevelopment of a stable low-pressure process for the selectiveoxidation of AlAs. Optimised AlGaAs/GaAs DBRs were designed andfabricated. An important and striking observation from thatstudy is that n-type doping potentially is much moredetrimental to device performance than previously anticipated.These investigations were exploited in the realisation of twonew VCSEL designs. Near-room-temperature continuous-waveoperation of a single-fused 1.55-µm VCSEL was obtained.This demonstrated the potential of InGaAsP/InP DBRs inhigh-performance VCSELs, but also revealed a high sensitivityto self-heating. Further efforts were therefore directedtowards all-epitaxial GaAs-based structures. This resulted in ahigh-performance 1215-nm VCSEL with a highly strained InGaAssingle QW. This can be viewed as a basis for longer-wavelengthVCSELs, i.e., with an emission wavelength approaching 1300 nm,either by an extensive device detuning or with GaInNAs QWs.</p><p><b>Keywords</b>: VCSEL, vertical cavity laser, semiconductorlaser, long-wavelength, DBR, oxidation, wafer fusion, InGaAs,semiconductor processing</p>

<p>Vertical cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest aslow-cost, high-performance light sources for fiber-opticcommunication systems. They have a number of advantages overconventional edge-emitting lasers, including low powerconsumption, efficient fiber coupling and wafer scalemanufacturing/testing. For high-speed data transmission overdistances up to a few hundred meters, VCLs (or arrays of VCLs)operating at 850 nm wavelength is today the technology ofchoice. While multimode fibers are successfully used in theseapplications, higher transmission bandwidth and longerdistances require single-mode fibres and longer wavelengths(1.3-1.55 µm). However, long-wavelength VCLs are as yetnot commercially available since no traditional materialssystem offers the required combination of bothhigh-index-contrast distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) andhigh-gain active regions. Earlier work on long-wavelength VCLshas therefore focused on hybrid techniques, such as waferfusion between InP-based QWs and AlGaAs DBRs, but more recentlythe main interest in this field has shifted towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-µmactive materials. Among these, strained GaInNAs/GaAs QWs aregenerally considered one of the most promising approaches andhave received a great deal of interest.</p><p>The aim of this thesis is to investigate monolithicGaAs-based long-wavelength (>1.2 µm) VCLs with InGaAsor GaInNAs QW active regions. Laser structures - or partsthereof - have been grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy(MOVPE) and characterized by various techniques, such ashigh-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence(PL), atomic force microscopy, and secondary ion massspectroscopy (SIMS). High accuracy reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs DBRs than previously anticipated. Asystematic investigation was also made of the deleteriouseffects of buried Al-containing layers, such as AlGaAs DBRs, onthe optical and structural properties of subsequently grownGaInNAs QWs. Both these problems, with their potential bearingon VCL fabrication, are reduced by lowering the DBR growthtemperature.</p><p>Record-long emission wavelength InGaAs VCLs were fabricatedusing an extensive gain-cavity detuning. The cavity resonancecondition just below 1270 nm wavelength occurs at the farlong-wavelength side of the gain curve. Still, the gain is highenough to yield threshold currents in the low mA-regime and amaximum output power exceeding 1 mW, depending on devicediameter. Direct modulation experiments were performed on1260-nm devices at 10 Gb/s in a back-to-back configuration withopen, symmetric eye diagrams, indicating their potential foruse in high-speed transmission applications. These devices arein compliance with the wavelength requirements of emerging10-Gb/s Ethernet and SONET OC-192 standards and may turn out tobe a viable alternative to GaInNAs VCLs.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>GaInNAs, InGaAs, quantum wells, MOVPE, MOCVD,vertical cavity laser, VCSEL, long-wavelength, epitaxy, XRD,DBR</p>

Vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest as lightsources for fiber-optic communication systems. Such deviceshave a number of advantages over traditional in-plane laserdiodes, including low power consumption, efficient fibercoupling, on-chip testability, as well as potential low-costfabrication and packaging. To date, GaAs-based VCLs operatingat 850 nm are the technology of choice for short-distance,high-speed data transmission over multimode fiber. Forlong-distance communication networks, long-wavelength (LW) VCLsoperating in the 1.3 and 1.55-&amp;#956m transmission windowsof standard singlemode fibers are desired. However, despiteconsiderable worldwide development efforts, the commercialbreakthrough of such devices has still to be achieved. This ismainly due to shortcomings of the intrinsic material propertiesof InP-based material systems, traditionally employed in LWlaser diodes. While LW quantum well (QW) active regions basedon InP are well established, efficient distributed Braggreflectors (DBRs) are better built up in the AlGaAs/GaAsmaterial system. Therefore, earlier work on LW VCLs has focusedon hybrid techniques such as bonding between InP-based QWs andAlGaAs/GaAs DBRs using waferfusion. More recently, however, themain interest in this field has shifted towards all-epitaxialGaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-&amp;#956m activematerials with strained GaInNAs QWs as one of the mostpromising candidates. The main focus of this thesis is on the characterization andanalysis of LW VCLs and building blocks thereof, based on bothInP and GaAs substrates. This includes a theoretical study on1.3-&amp;#956m InGaAsP/InP multiple QW active regions, as wellas an experimental investigation of novel, highly strained1.2-&amp;#956m InGaAs/GaAs single QWs. Two high-accuracyabsolute reflectance measurement setups were built for thecharacterization of various DBRs. Reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs/GaAs DBRs than previously anticipated.Near-room temperature operation of a single-fused1.55-&amp;#956m VCL with an InP/InGaAsP bottom DBR wasobtained. A thermal analysis of this device structure clearlyindicated its limited capabilities in terms of high-temperatureoperation. As a result, further efforts were directed towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based VCLs. Record-long emission wavelengthsto above 1260 nm were obtained from InGaAs VCLs based on anextensive gain–cavity detuning. These devices showed verypromising performance characteristics in terms of thresholdcurrent and light output power, indicating good potential forbeing a viable alternative to GaInNAs-based VCLs.

<p>Vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) are of great interest as lightsources for fiber-optic communication systems. Such deviceshave a number of advantages over traditional in-plane laserdiodes, including low power consumption, efficient fibercoupling, on-chip testability, as well as potential low-costfabrication and packaging. To date, GaAs-based VCLs operatingat 850 nm are the technology of choice for short-distance,high-speed data transmission over multimode fiber. Forlong-distance communication networks, long-wavelength (LW) VCLsoperating in the 1.3 and 1.55-&#956m transmission windowsof standard singlemode fibers are desired. However, despiteconsiderable worldwide development efforts, the commercialbreakthrough of such devices has still to be achieved. This ismainly due to shortcomings of the intrinsic material propertiesof InP-based material systems, traditionally employed in LWlaser diodes. While LW quantum well (QW) active regions basedon InP are well established, efficient distributed Braggreflectors (DBRs) are better built up in the AlGaAs/GaAsmaterial system. Therefore, earlier work on LW VCLs has focusedon hybrid techniques such as bonding between InP-based QWs andAlGaAs/GaAs DBRs using waferfusion. More recently, however, themain interest in this field has shifted towards all-epitaxialGaAs-based devices employing novel 1.3-&#956m activematerials with strained GaInNAs QWs as one of the mostpromising candidates.</p><p>The main focus of this thesis is on the characterization andanalysis of LW VCLs and building blocks thereof, based on bothInP and GaAs substrates. This includes a theoretical study on1.3-&#956m InGaAsP/InP multiple QW active regions, as wellas an experimental investigation of novel, highly strained1.2-&#956m InGaAs/GaAs single QWs. Two high-accuracyabsolute reflectance measurement setups were built for thecharacterization of various DBRs. Reflectance measurementsrevealed that n-type doping is much more detrimental to theperformance of AlGaAs/GaAs DBRs than previously anticipated.Near-room temperature operation of a single-fused1.55-&#956m VCL with an InP/InGaAsP bottom DBR wasobtained. A thermal analysis of this device structure clearlyindicated its limited capabilities in terms of high-temperatureoperation. As a result, further efforts were directed towardsall-epitaxial GaAs-based VCLs. Record-long emission wavelengthsto above 1260 nm were obtained from InGaAs VCLs based on anextensive gain–cavity detuning. These devices showed verypromising performance characteristics in terms of thresholdcurrent and light output power, indicating good potential forbeing a viable alternative to GaInNAs-based VCLs.</p>