650-nm Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers:
Laser Properties and Reliability Investigations

A. Knigge, R. Franke, St. Knigge, B. Sumpf, K. Vogel, M. Zorn, M. Weyers, and G. Tränkle
Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik, D-12489 Berlin, Germany

Published in:
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 14, No. 10, October 2002, pp. 1385-1387.
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Abstract:
650-nm AlGaInP-AlGaAs-based oxide-confined VCSELs are investigated in dependence on the current aperture size. VCSELs with small aperture (a = 5 µm) have a maximum continuous-wave (CW) output power of about 1 mW at room temperature. They reach higher operating temperatures (Tmax = 55 °C), have narrower beam profiles, less transverse modes, and a higher side mode suppression compared to large aperture VCSELs (a > 13 µm). The latter devices emit a CW-output power P = 3 mW at 20 °C. Reliability tests of 655-nm devices show at 20 °C an output power of P  0.4 mW over more than 1000 h and at 40 °C P  0.1 mW over 500 h.

Index Terms:
650 nm, AlGaInP, red, reliability, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), visible.

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