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 the width of the metal aperture, the width of the modal filter, 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.

A laser diode includes a semiconductor structure of a lower Bragg reflector layer, an active region, and an upper Bragg reflector layer. The upper Bragg reflector layer includes a lasing aperture having an optical axis oriented perpendicular to a surface of the active region. The active region includes a first material, and the lower Bragg reflector layer includes a second material, where respective lattice structures of the first and second materials are independent of one another. Related laser arrays and methods of fabrication are also discussed.

An embodiment relates to a surface emitting laser device and a light emitting device including the same. A surface emitting laser device according to the embodiment may include a first reflective layer; an active layer disposed on the first reflective layer; an aperture area disposed on the active layer and including an aperture and an insulating region; and a second reflective layer disposed in the aperture area. The active layer may comprise a plurality of quantum wells, quantum barriers, and intermediate layers disposed between the quantum wells and the quantum barriers. The quantum wells and the quantum barriers may include a ternary material, and the intermediate layers may comprise a binary material.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array may include an n-type substrate layer and an n-type metal on a bottom surface of the n-type substrate layer. The n-type metal may form a common anode for a group of VCSEL. The VCSEL array may include a bottom mirror structure on a top surface of the n-type substrate layer. The bottom mirror structure may include one or more bottom mirror sections and a tunnel junction to reverse a carrier type within the bottom mirror structure. The VCSEL array may include an active region on the bottom mirror structure and an oxidation layer to provide optical and electrical confinement. The VCSEL array may include an n-type top mirror on the active region, a top contact layer over the n-type top mirror, and a top metal on the top contact layer. The top metal may form an isolated cathode for the VCSEL array.

An emitter array may comprise a plurality of emitters and a metallization layer to electrically connect the plurality of emitters. The metallization layer may have a first end and a second end. The plurality of emitters may include a first emitter and a second emitter. The first emitter may be located closer to the first end than the second emitter. The first emitter and the second emitter have differently sized structures to compensate for a first impedance of the metallization layer between the first end and the first emitter and a second impedance between the first end and the second emitter.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser includes a substrate. A first mirror is disposed on the substrate. An active layer is disposed on the first mirror. An oxide layer is disposed on the active layer. An aperture is disposed on the active layer. The aperture is surrounded by the oxide layer. A second mirror is disposed on the aperture and the oxide layer. A high-contrast grating is disposed on the second mirror. The high-contrast grating includes a first grating element and a second grating element, and the first grating element and the second grating element are spaced apart from each other with an air gap therebetween. A passivation layer is disposed on the high-contrast grating. A first thickness of the passivation layer on a top surface of the first grating element is greater than a second thickness of the passivation layer on a first sidewall of the first grating element.

In some implementations, a surface emitting laser may have an emitter design with a short oxidation length and/or a large number of trenches. For example, the surface emitting laser may comprise a metallization layer comprising multiple extended portions extending outwards from a circumference of an inner ring portion, and multiple tabs extending laterally from the multiple extended portions in a partial ring shape. The surface emitting laser may further comprise multiple via openings connecting the metallization layer to a plating metal, where each via opening is positioned over a corresponding tab, of the multiple tabs. The surface emitting laser may comprise multiple oxidation trenches that are each formed in an angular gap between a pair of extended portions, of the multiple extended portions, such that the multiple tabs and the multiple via openings are exclusively outside outer radii of the multiple oxidation trenches.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is provided. The VCSEL includes a mesa structure disposed on a substrate. The mesa structure includes a first reflector, a second reflector, and an active cavity material structure disposed between the first and second reflectors. The second reflector has an opening extending from a second surface of the second reflector into the second reflector by a predetermined depth. Etching into the second reflector to the predetermined depth reduces the photon lifetime and the threshold gain of the VCSEL, while increasing the modulation bandwidth and maintaining the high reflectivity of the second reflector. Thus, etching the second reflector to the predetermined depth provides an improvement in overshoot control, broader modulation bandwidth, and faster pulsing of the VCSEL such that the VCSEL may provide a high speed, high bandwidth signal with controlled overshoot.

A semiconductor membrane laser chip includes a planar-shaped lasing medium having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, the lasing medium configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at a laser wavelength λ.sub.1. A first heat spreader is bonded to one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the lasing medium. A first dielectric layer is arranged on the lower surface of the lasing medium or arranged on a lower surface of the first heat spreader when the first heat spreader is bonded to the lower surface of the lasing medium. The first dielectric layer is reflective for the laser wavelength λ.sub.1.

Systems and methods disclosed herein include a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device that includes an anode, a cathode, and one or more curved apertures located in an epitaxial layer between the anode and the cathode, each of the one or more curved apertures having an aperture edge and one or more oxidation bridges crossing the curved aperture that allow current to flow inside the curved aperture, in which when a current signal is applied to the VCSEL, current flow between the anode and the cathode is distributed along the aperture edge of the one or more curved apertures.