We present a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) emitting around 1.55 μm with single-mode output power of >2.5mW and high side-mode suppression-ratio (SMSR) of >50dB over the entire tuning range of >50nm. The small-signal modulation technique (S21) has been used to study intrinsic and parasitic influences on the modulation response of the device. Additionally, the static characteristics as well as electrical and thermal design of the device are discussed with respect to its high-speed modulation behavior. The tunable laser shows 3-dB direct modulation frequencies above 6.4 GHz.

Date Published: 7 February 2012
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 8276, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers XVI, 82760R (7 February 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.908379

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8276:
Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers XVI
Chun Lei; Kent D. Choquette, Editor(s)