The invention describes a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser and a method of manufacturing such a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser. The Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser comprising a first electrical contact (105, 405, 505, 605, 705), a substrate (110, 410, 610, 710), a first distributed Bragg reflector (115, 415, 615, 715), an active layer (120, 420, 620, 720), a distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725), a second distributed Bragg reflector (130, 430, 630, 730) and a second electrical contact (135, 435, 535, 635, 735), the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725) comprising a collector layer (125a), a light sensitive layer (125c), a base layer (125e) and an emitter layer (125f), wherein the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725) is arranged such that there is an optical coupling between the active layer (120, 420, 620, 720) and the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725) for providing an active carrier confinement by means of the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725) such that an optical mode of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser is self-positioning in accordance with the active carrier confinement during operation of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser. It is the intention of the present invention to provide a VCSEL which can be easily and reliably processed by integrating the distributed heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (125, 425, 625, 725).

A miniature illuminator is described which is suitable for assembly into mobile electronics devices such as cell phones and computer tablets. Features of the invention overcome the complexity of current miniature illuminators by using single molded structure which includes all the electrical feedthrough connections and has the features necessary for accurate mounting of optical components. The molded structure includes laser safety connections which provide an electrical interrupt signal when the illuminator is damaged in a way that could result in propagation of non-eye safe illuminator beams. In an alternate operation the illuminator provides a signal when a subject gets too close to the illuminator and would receive unsafe VCSEL illuminator beam. The laser safety feature is integrated into the molded Illuminator package so that separate electrically connected structures to achieve this function are eliminated.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) device that utilizes an external micromirror array, and methods of fabricating and using the same. In one embodiment, a VECSEL device includes a gain chip, a mirror, and a micromirror array. The gain chip includes a gain medium. The micromirror array includes a plurality of curved micromirrors. The micromirror array and the mirror define an optical cavity, and the micromirror array is oriented such that at least one of the curved micromirrors is to reflect light generated by the gain medium back toward the gain medium along a length of the optical cavity.

A device includes an illumination device for emitting an illumination beam. The illumination device includes an emitter array including multiple light emitters; and a micro-lens array (MLA) including multiple micro-lenses. The MLA is positioned to receive light emitted from the emitter array. Light from the MLA forms the illumination beam. A first region of the MLA is offset from the emitter array by a first offset amount, and a second region of the MLA is offset from the emitter array by a second offset amount different than the first offset amount.

The surface emitting laser device according to the embodiment includes a substrate, a first metal layer disposed on the substrate, a second metal layer disposed on the first metal layer, and a third metal layer disposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer.

The first to third metal layers may include different materials, and the second metal layer may include copper (Cu).

The third metal layer may prevent diffusion of copper from the second metal layer into the first metal layer.

An apparatus includes a first and second VCSEL, each with an integrated lens. The VCSELs emit a first light beam having first optical modes at first wavelengths and a second light beam having second optical modes at second wavelengths. The apparatus also has an optical block with a first and second surface, a mirror coupled to the second surface, and a wavelength-selective filter coupled to the first surface. The first integrated lens mode matches the first beam to the optical block, and the second integrated lens mode matches the second beam to the optical block such that the first beam and second beam each have substantially a beam waist with a beam waist dimension at the first and second input region, respectively. An exit beam that includes light from the first beam and the second beam is output from the second surface of the optical block.

The methods of manufacture of GeSiSn heterojunction bipolar transistors, which include light emitting transistors and transistor lasers and photo-transistors and their related structures are described herein. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) may include a substrate and a set of epitaxial layers on the substrate. The set of epitaxial layers may include a first mirror and a second mirror, an active region between the first mirror and the second mirror, and an oxidation layer to provide optical and electrical confinement in the VCSEL. The oxidation layer may be near the first mirror. The set of epitaxial layers may include an oxide lens to control a characteristic of an output beam emitted by the VCSEL. The oxide lens may be separate from the oxidation layer, and may be a lens that is separate from the first mirror and from the second mirror.

An optical device may include an array of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) having a design wavelength, each VCSEL having an emission area. The optical device may include a first metal layer, substantially covering the array, a second metal layer substantially covering the first metal layer, and an electrical isolation layer, between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, that includes vias for electrically connecting portions of the first metal layer and portions of the second metal layer. The optical device may include a dielectric disposed over the emission area of each VCSEL. A variation in a thickness of the dielectric across at least approximately 90% of an area of the dielectric may be less than approximately 2% of the design wavelength. A depth of a well around the emission area may be equal to at least approximately 10% of a width of the emission area.

An optical device includes a first array of emitters disposed on a substrate and configured to emit respective beams of optical radiation in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. A second array of microlenses is positioned on the substrate in alignment with the respective beams of the emitters, having respective sag profiles that vary over an area of the substrate. The second array includes at least first microlenses in a central region of the substrate and second microlenses in a peripheral region of the substrate, such that the first microlenses have respective first focal powers, while the second microlenses have respective second focal powers, which are less than the first focal powers.