A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) may include an active region (e.g., one or more quantum wells) and a chirped pattern reflector. The active region may be configured to be electrically pumped such that the active region generates light having a fundamental mode and a higher order mode. The chirped pattern reflector may include a first portion presenting to the active region as a first portion of an effective mirror having a concave shape and a second portion presenting to the active region as a second portion of the effective mirror having a convex shape.

A device includes one or more reflector components. Each reflector component comprises layer pairs of epitaxially grown reflective layers and layers of a non-epitaxial material, such as air. Vias extend through at least some of the layers of the reflector components. The device may include a light emitting layer.

The embodiment relates to a semiconductor light-emitting device comprising a semiconductor substrate, a first cladding layer, an active layer, a second cladding layer, a contact layer, and a phase modulation layer located between the first cladding and active layers or between the active and second cladding layers. The phase modulation layer comprises a basic layer and plural first modified refractive index regions different from the basic layer in a refractive index. In a virtual square lattice set on the phase modulation layer such that the modified refractive index region is allocated in each of unit constituent regions constituting square lattices, the modified refractive index region is arranged to allow its gravity center position to be separated from the lattice point of the corresponding unit constituent region, and to have a rotation angle about the lattice point according a desired optical image.

In one example, a device includes a layered semiconductor material having material defects formed therein and an optoelectronic device formed in the layered semiconductor material. The optoelectronic device includes an active region comprising an aperture formed through the layered semiconductor material. The aperture is formed in a manner that avoids intersection with the material defects.

In one example, a device includes a layered semiconductor material having material defects formed therein and an optoelectronic device formed in the layered semiconductor material. The optoelectronic device includes an active region comprising an aperture formed through the layered semiconductor material. The aperture is formed in a manner that avoids intersection with the material defects.

A light emitting device has a first mirror; and one or more active regions with a first active region adjacent to the first mirror. Each of active region includes quantum wells and barriers, and is surrounded by one or more p-n junctions. The active regions have a selected shape structure each with a tunnel junction (TJ). One or more apertures are provided with the selected shape structure; one or more buried tunnel junctions (BTJ), additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ's, created during a regrowth process that is independent of a first growth process of the first mirror as well as the active region and the one or more TJs. One or more electrical confinement apertures are defined by the one or more BTJ's, additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ's. A vertical resonator cavity is disposed over the electrical confinement aperture. A high contrast grating (HCG) operates as a second mirror positioned over the vertical resonator cavity. The HCG is configured to reflect a first portion of light back into the vertical resonator cavity, and a second portion of the light as an output beam from the VCSEL. The HCG structure is layered on the selected shape structure. A shape of the output beam of the light emitting device is determined by a geometric shape of the one or more BTJ apertures, apertures for additional TJ's, planar structures and/or additional BTJ's, with a transmission function of the HCG. The shape is designed according to the desired optical transmission function of the application.

Conductivity-selective lateral etching of III-nitride materials is described. Methods and structures for making vertical cavity surface emitting lasers with distributed Bragg reflectors via electrochemical etching are described. Layer-selective, lateral electrochemical etching of multi-layer stacks is employed to form semiconductor/air DBR structures adjacent active multiple quantum well regions of the lasers. The electrochemical etching techniques are suitable for high-volume production of lasers and other III-nitride devices, such as lasers, HEMT transistors, power transistors, MEMs structures, and LEDs.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and VCSEL arrays are disclosed. In one aspect, a surface-emitting laser includes a grating layer having a sub-wavelength grating to form a resonant cavity with a reflective layer for a wavelength of light to be emitted from a light-emitting layer and an aperture layer disposed within the resonant cavity. The VCSEL includes a charge carrier transport layer disposed between the grating layer and the light-emitting layer. The transport layer has a gap adjacent to the sub-wavelength grating and a spacer region between the gap and the light-emitting layer. The spacer region and gap are dimensioned to be substantially transparent to the wavelength. The aperture layer directs charge carriers to enter a region of the light-emitting layer adjacent to an aperture in the aperture layer and the aperture confines optical modes to be emitted from the light-emitting layer.

A VCSEL epitaxial structure includes an etched post between an active region and a sacrificial layer. Aa regrowth of sacrificial layer and HCG layer are around the etched post. providing a fully epitaxial grown tunable VCSEL with a small cavity volume, lateral electrical current and optical confinement. The etched post and regrowth provide lateral current and optical confinement, small volume and increased efficiency for more demanding applications, such as very high-speed modulation and coherent communication.

Conductivity-selective lateral etching of III-nitride materials is described. Methods and structures for making vertical cavity surface emitting lasers with distributed Bragg reflectors via electrochemical etching are described. Layer-selective, lateral electrochemical etching of multi-layer stacks is employed to form semiconductor/air DBR structures adjacent active multiple quantum well regions of the lasers. The electrochemical etching techniques are suitable for high-volume production of lasers and other III-nitride devices, such as lasers, HEMT transistors, power transistors, MEMs structures, and LEDs.