A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes: a supporting base; and a post including an upper distributed Bragg reflecting region, an active layer, and a lower distributed Bragg reflecting region. The upper distributed Bragg reflecting region, the active layer, and the lower distributed Bragg reflecting region are arranged on the supporting base. The lower distributed Bragg reflecting region includes first semiconductor layers and second semiconductor layers alternately with each of the first semiconductor layers having a refractive index lower than that of each of the second semiconductor layers. The upper distributed Bragg reflecting region includes first layers and second layers alternately with each of the first layers having a group III-V compound semiconductor portion and a group III oxide portion. The group III-V compound semiconductor portion contains aluminum as a group III constituent element, and the group III oxide portion surrounds the group III-V compound semiconductor portion.

Some embodiments relate to a method for manufacturing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser. The method includes forming an optically active layer over a first reflective layer and forming a second reflective layer over the optically active layer. Forming a masking layer over the second reflective layer, where the masking layer leaves a sacrificial portion of the second reflective layer exposed. A first etch is performed to remove the sacrificial portion of the second reflective layer, defining a second reflector. Forming a first spacer covering outer sidewalls of the second reflector and masking layer. Performing an oxidation process to oxidize a peripheral region of the optically active layer. A second etch is performed to remove a portion of the oxidized peripheral region, defining an optically active region. Forming a second spacer covering outer sidewalls of the first spacer, the optically active region, and the first reflector.

Disclosed is an optically pumped vertical cavity laser structure operating in the mid-infrared region, which has demonstrated room-temperature continuous wave operation. This structure uses a periodic gain active region with type I quantum wells comprised of InGaAsSb, and barrier/cladding regions which provide strong hole confinement and substantial pump absorption. A preferred embodiment includes at least one wafer bonded GaAs-based mirror. Several preferred embodiments also include means for wavelength tuning of mid-IR VCLs as disclosed, including a MEMS-tuning element. This document also includes systems for optical spectroscopy using the VCL as disclosed, including systems for detection concentrations of industrial and environmentally important gases.

A VCSEL can include: a substrate that passes light therethrough; a phase matching layer over a top mirror stack; a first metal layer over the phase matching layer; and an end metal region over the first metal layer. The phase matching layer and first metal layer have a cooperative thickness to provide reflectivity of at least a predetermined reflectivity threshold for the emission wavelength. A method of making a VCSEL can include: providing a substrate; forming a first mirror stack above the substrate; forming an active region above the first mirror stack; and forming a reflective end above the active region, the reflective end having a phase matching layer and a first metal layer. The phase matching layer and first metal layer have a combined thickness for the reflective end to have a reflectivity of at least a predetermined reflectivity threshold for an emission wavelength of the VCSEL.

A light emitting element of the present disclosure includes a compound semiconductor substrate 11, a stacked structure 20 including a GaN-based compound semiconductor, a first light reflection layer 41, and a second light reflection layer 42. The stacked structure 20 includes, in a stacked state a first compound semiconductor layer 21, an active layer 23, and a second compound semiconductor layer 22. The first light reflection layer 41 is disposed on the compound semiconductor substrate 11 and has a concave mirror section 43. The second light reflection layer 42 is disposed on a second surface side of the second compound semiconductor layer 22 and has a flat shape. The compound semiconductor substrate 11 includes a low impurity concentration compound semiconductor substrate or a semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate.

System and method for increasing VCSEL power by using multiple gain layers 10, separated by insulated layers 12, bounded on top and bottom by DBR mirrors 11, connected in parallel through electrodes embedded within, resulting in a modified VCSEL system of higher power, lower resistive loss, higher device speed, and higher beam quality.

An emitter may include a substrate, a conductive layer on at least a bottom surface of a trench, and a first metal layer to provide a first electrical contact of the emitter on an epitaxial side of the substrate. The first metal layer may be within the trench such that the first metal layer contacts the conductive layer within the trench. The emitter may further include a second metal layer to provide a second electrical contact of the emitter on the epitaxial side of the substrate, and an isolation implant to block lateral current flow between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

An optical device includes: a substrate having a first surface, and a second surface opposite of the first surface; a plurality of surface emitting laser elements provided on the first surface of the substrate and configured to emit light in a direction intersecting the first surface; a plurality of optical elements disposed on the second surface so as to respectively correspond to the plurality of surface emitting laser elements; and an anti-reflection structure between the substrate and the plurality of optical elements.

A plurality of surface emitting lasers are formed on the single surface emitting laser element. The plurality of surface emitting lasers have respective emission wavelengths selected from wavelengths satisfying condition of:

0<.sub.1.sub.s5.3610.sup.5.sub.c.sup.25.8310.sup.2.sub.c+32.4 where a first emission wavelength is .sub.1 [nm], a second emission wavelength shorter than the first emission wavelength is .sub.s [nm], and a middle wavelength between the first emission wavelength and the second emission wavelength is .sub.c [nm]. At least one of the plurality of surface emitting lasers has an emission wavelength different from an emission wavelength of another surface emitting laser.

A semiconductor vertical light source includes upper and lower minors with an active region in between, an inner mode confinement region, and an outer current blocking region that includes a common epitaxial layer including an epitaxially regrown interface between the active region and upper minor. A conducting channel including acceptors is in the inner mode confinement region. The current blocking region includes a first impurity doped region with donors between the epitaxially regrown interface and active region, and a second impurity doped region with acceptors between the first doped region and lower minor. The outer current blocking region provides a PNPN current blocking region that includes the upper minor or a p-type layer, first doped region, second doped region, and lower minor or an n-type layer. The first and second impurity doped region force current flow into the conducting channel during normal operation of the light source.