Provided is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser diode (VCSEL) with a small divergence angle. The VCSEL includes a multi-layer structure on a substrate. The multi-layer structure includes an active region and current confinement layers. Each of the current confinement layers has an optical aperture (OA). When the area of the OA of the current confinement layer outside the active region is larger than the areas of the OAs of the current confinement layers inside the active region, such that the VCSEL has a small divergence angle in the short pulse mode.

Provided are a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, a manufacturing method, a distance measuring device, and an electronic device. The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser includes a lower electrode, a substrate, a lower Bragg reflector, an active area, a current limiting layer, an upper Bragg reflector, a protective layer, and an upper electrode. The upper electrode includes at least two sub-electrodes, the at least two sub-electrodes are electrically connected, and the at least two sub-electrodes define one or more light-exiting windows. Each sub-electrode is provided with a corresponding light-exiting window so that the luminous power is increased. Each sub-electrode defines the light-exiting window, and a plurality of sub-electrodes are electrically connected so that the distribution uniformity of the light spots is increased, and the quality of the laser beam is improved.

Disclosed is a VCSEL array with improved optical properties. According to one aspect of the present embodiment, a VCSEL array has improved output light characteristics by minimizing the effects of resistance, inductance, and capacitance inevitably caused in a package.

Provided is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser diode, including a substrate and an epitaxial stack structure disposed on the substrate. The epitaxial stack structure includes an active region, a current confinement layer and a mode filter layer. The mode filter layer includes an optical aperture, and the mode filter layer is able to be oxidized. Accordingly, the optical aperture of the mode filter layer is formed by oxidizing the mode filter layer.

In some implementations, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device includes a substrate layer and a first set of epitaxial layers for a bottom-emitting VCSEL disposed on the substrate layer. The first set of epitaxial layers may include a first set of mirrors and at least one first active layer. The VCSEL device may include a second set of epitaxial layers for a top-emitting VCSEL disposed on the first set of epitaxial layers for the bottom-emitting VCSEL. The second set of epitaxial layers may include a second set of mirrors and at least one second active layer. The top-emitting VCSEL and the bottom-emitting VCSEL may be configured to emit light in opposite light emission directions.

A surface-emitting laser device disclosed in an embodiment of the invention includes a first region in which a plurality of first emitters is arranged; and a second region in which a plurality of second emitters is arranged, an area of the second region is smaller than an area of the first region, and the second region is disposed in a center region of the first region, and the first emitter and the second emitter may be driven separately.

Modification of the topology of selected regions of individual VCSEL devices during fabrication is utilized to provide an array output beam with specific characteristics (e.g., “uniform” output power across the array). These physical features include at least the width of the metal aperture, the width of the oxide aperture, and/or the geometry of the contact ring structure on the top of the VCSEL device. The modifications may also function to adjust the numerical apertures (NAs) of the devices, the beam waist, wallplug efficiency, and the like.

An array of surface-emitting gain chips includes a common substrate, plural gain chips formed on the common substrate, each configured to generate a light beam, plural optical couplers, each located on a top surface of a corresponding gain chip of the plural gain chips, plural optical fibers, each connected with one end to a corresponding optical coupler of the plurality of optical couplers, an array wide optical coupler connected to another end of the plural optical fibers, and a single optical fiber connected to the array wide optical coupler and configured to output the combined light beams.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array may include a plurality of VCSELs. A size of an emission area of a first VCSEL, of the plurality of VCSELs, may be different from a size of an emission area of a second VCSEL of the plurality of VCSELs. The first VCSEL may be located closer to a center of the VCSEL array than the second VCSEL. A difference between the size of the emission area of the first VCSEL and the size of the emission area of the second VCSEL may be associated with reducing a difference in operating temperature between the first VCSEL and the second VCSEL, or reducing a difference in optical power output between the first VCSEL and the second VCSEL.

A disclosed surface-emitting laser module includes a surface-emitting laser formed on a substrate to emit light perpendicular to its surface, a package including a recess portion in which the substrate having the surface-emitting laser is arranged, and a transparent substrate arranged to cover the recess portion of the package and the substrate having the surface-emitting laser such that the transparent substrate and the package are connected on a light emitting side of the surface-emitting laser. In the surface-emitting laser module, a high reflectance region and a low reflectance region are formed within a region enclosed by an electrode on an upper part of a mesa of the surface-emitting laser, and the transparent substrate is slanted to the surface of the substrate having the surface-emitting laser in a polarization direction of the light emitted from the surface-emitting laser determined by the high reflectance region and the low reflectance region.