A layout for a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is provided. In an example embodiment, the layout comprises a VCSEL, an etched shape around a mesa of the VCSEL, a signal contact layer deposited on section of the mesa, and a ground contact layer. The ground contact layer comprises three parts and is positioned around a first section of the etched shape. The first part of the ground contact layer is deposited on a second section of the etched shape. The second and third parts of the ground contact layer comprise two legs off of the first part. The two legs are symmetrically positioned about two sides of the signal contact layer to form a ground-signal-ground configuration.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is provided. The VCSEL includes a mesa structure disposed on a substrate. The mesa structure has a first reflector, a second reflector, and an active cavity material structure disposed between the first and second reflectors. The mesa structure defines an optical window through which the VCSEL is configured to emit light. The mesa structure further includes a passivation layer disposed at least within the optical window. The passivation layer is designed to seal the mesa structure to reduce the humidity sensitivity of the VCSEL and to protect the VCSEL from contaminants. The passivation layer also 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 and dumping behavior.

The present disclosure provides new and innovative VCSEL devices and systems. In an example, a VCSEL device comprises a cavity mirror with a curved mirror surface of a VCSEL and a radius of curvature (ROC) of the curved mirror surface that is anisotropic, wherein the ROC comprises four directions, the four directions being +x, +y, −x, −y, the ROC in at least one direction is in a range greater than a cavity length of the VCSEL and less than a predefined ROC value for a standard beam width (ROCUL), and the ROC in at least one of the other directions is outside the range.

A segmented VCSEL array having a plurality of individually addressable segments, each segment comprising one or more VCSELs. In some cases, at least two of the plurality of individually addressable segments may be driven in combination. The plurality of individually addressable segments, in some embodiments, may be centered around the same central point. An optical element may be used in conjunction with the segmented VCSEL array, and in some cases may be aligned to the central point. The optical element may be configured such that light passing therethrough may be directed according to which of the plurality of individually addressable segments is activated. In some embodiments, the optical element is a grating or diffractive optical element. The grating or diffractive optical element could be patterned with optical segments that each correspond to at least one the plurality of individually addressable segments.

A semiconductor optical amplifier includes a conductive region that is provided on a substrate and allows light transmission, and a nonconductive region that is provided around the conductive region and prohibits light transmission. The conductive region includes a first region including a light-coupling portion to which light from an external light-source unit is coupled, and a second region having a narrower width than the first region and connected to the first region through a connecting portion, the second region including a light-amplifying portion amplifying the light from the light-coupling portion by propagating the light in a predetermined propagating direction along a surface of the substrate, the light-amplifying portion outputting the amplified light in a direction intersecting the surface of the substrate. Seen in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, the semiconductor optical amplifier includes a portion where a width of the conductive region is continuously reduced from the first region to the second region.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a VCSEL device provided. The VCSEL device includes a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having a plurality of surfaces and a notch, the plurality of surfaces comprising: a bottom surface for facing the slider; a top surface opposite the bottom surface; and a plurality of side surfaces, wherein the notch forms a recessed edge spaced away from the bottom surface and toward the top surface, the notch having a shoulder, a side, and an angle (θ1) between the shoulder and the side. The VCSEL device further includes two laser diode electrodes positioned in any combination on one or more of the plurality of surfaces of the chip.

A laser imager for a printing system, comprising a plurality of independently addressable surface emitting lasers arranged in a linear array on a common substrate chip and including a common cathode and a dedicated control channel associated with an address trace line for each laser of the plurality of independently addressable surface emitting lasers, and optical elements arranged in a linear lens array configured to capture and focus light from the plurality of independently addressable surface emitting lasers onto a imaging member, wherein the plurality of independently addressable surface emitting lasers arranged in a linear array and the optical elements arranged in a linear lens array operate together to image the imaging member.

A vertical-cavity surface emitting laser includes a substrate, a first reflector, an active region, an oxide layer, a second reflector, and a circular metal electrode. The first reflector is formed above the substrate. The active region is formed above the first reflector, and includes at least one quantum well. The at least one quantum well generates a laser beam with a plurality of modes. The oxide layer is formed above the active region and includes an oxide aperture. The second reflector is formed above the oxide layer. The circular metal electrode is formed in a circular concave in the second reflector. The circular metal electrode reflects other modes of the laser beam with the plurality of modes except for a fundamental mode and receive an operational voltage. A window exists between the circular concave and lets the laser beam with the fundamental mode pass.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a VCSEL device provided. The VCSEL device includes a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having a plurality of surfaces and a notch, the plurality of surfaces comprising: a bottom surface for facing the slider; a top surface opposite the bottom surface; and a plurality of side surfaces, wherein the notch forms a recessed edge spaced away from the bottom surface and toward the top surface, the notch having a shoulder, a side, and an angle (θ1) between the shoulder and the side. The VCSEL device further includes two laser diode electrodes positioned in any combination on one or more of the plurality of surfaces of the chip.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a head gimbal assembly for mounting a VCSEL, devices incorporating such articles, and to a process for forming a VCSEL. In an embodiment, a process for forming a VCSEL device is provided. The process includes forming a trench in a substrate, forming two laser diode electrodes in the trench, and after forming the two laser diode electrodes, cutting the substrate along the trench to form a VCSEL, the VCSEL comprising a chip for mounting on a slider, the chip having six surfaces, wherein a first surface of the chip is for facing the slider, a second surface of the chip is opposite the first surface, the two laser diode electrodes being positioned in any combination on one or more of a third surface, a fourth surface, a fifth surface, or a sixth surface.