A VCSEL includes an active region between a top distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a bottom DBR each having alternating GaAs and AlGaAs layers. The active region includes quantum wells (QW) confined between top and bottom GaAs-containing current-spreading layers (CSL), an aperture layer having an optical aperture and a tunnel junction layer above the QW. A GaAs intermediate layer configured to have an open top air gap is disposed over a boundary layer of the active region and the top DBR. The air gap is made wider than the optical aperture and has a height equal to one quarter of VCSEL's emission wavelength in air. The top DBR is attached to the intermediate layer by applying wafer bonding techniques. VCSEL output, the air gap, and the optical aperture are aligned on the same optical axis. The bottom DBR is epitaxially grown on a silicon or a GaAs substrate.

[Object] To provide a method of producing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser exhibiting excellent conductivity/heat-dissipation, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, a distance sensor, and an electronic apparatus.

[Solving Means] A method of producing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser according to the present technology includes: creating a first substrate by sequentially stacking a dielectric DBR layer and a first dielectric to-be-bonded layer on a support substrate. A second substrate is created by sequentially stacking a semiconductor DBR layer, a current blocking layer, an active layer, a contact layer, and a second dielectric to-be-bonded layer on a semiconductor substrate. The dielectric to-be-bonded layers are bonded to each other. A bonded body of the first substrate and the second substrate is annealed.

Disclosed herein is a system comprising: an optical system with a focal plane; an apparatus at the focal plane; a filter; wherein the apparatus comprises an array of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a first substrate and an array of detectors on a second substrate, the detectors configured to detect laser beams that are emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by an object; wherein the first substrate is mounted to the second substrate and is configured to allow the laser beams that are emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by the object to transmit through the first substrate and reach the detectors; wherein the filter is configured to prevent light other than the laser beams from passing.

A laser device includes a substrate including a principal surface and a recess provided in the principal surface; a laser oscillation unit fixed to the principal surface in direct contact with the principal surface or with an adhesive interposed between the laser oscillation unit and the principal surface, the laser oscillation unit having an emission surface from which laser light that diverges as the laser light travels is emitted along the principal surface; and a reflecting member fixed to a bottom surface of the recess and having an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the principal surface so as to reflect the laser light. At least a portion of the inclined surface is positioned in a space inside the recess.

A surface emitting laser according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an active layer, a first DBR layer and a second DBR layer sandwiching the active layer, and a dielectric layer and a reflection metal layer corresponding to a terminal end of a reflecting mirror on a side of the second DBR layer when viewed from the active layer.

A laser diode includes a semiconductor structure having an n-type layer, an active region, and a p-type layer. One of the n-type and p-type layers includes a lasing aperture thereon having an optical axis oriented perpendicular to a surface of the active region between the n-type and p-type layers. First and second contacts are electrically connected to the n-type and p-type layers, respectively. The first and/or second contacts are smaller than the lasing aperture in at least one dimension. Related arrays and methods of fabrication are also discussed.

A design and method for introducing asymmetric crystal strain to control polarization in a tunable VCSEL, either optically or electrically pumped. The invention is especially relevant to wafer- or die-bonded tunable VCSELs. Then, mechanical stress is applied to the half VCSEL device by asymmetric arrangement of metal bond pads.

A laser array includes a plurality of laser emitters arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on a substrate that is non-native to the plurality of laser emitters, and a plurality of driver transistors on the substrate adjacent one or more of the laser diodes. A subset of the plurality of laser emitters includes a string of laser emitters that are connected such that an anode of at least one laser emitter of the subset is connected to a cathode of an adjacent laser emitter of the subset. A driver transistor of the plurality of driver transistors is configured to control a current flowing through the string.

A laser diode includes a semiconductor structure having an n-type layer, an active region, and a p-type layer. One of the n-type and p-type layers includes a lasing aperture thereon having an optical axis oriented perpendicular to a surface of the active region between the n-type and p-type layers. First and second contacts are electrically connected to the n-type and p-type layers, respectively. The first and/or second contacts are smaller than the lasing aperture in at least one dimension. Related arrays and methods of fabrication are also discussed.

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.