Polarization-controlled VCSELs using externally applied uniaxial stress
US6188711A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 13, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 18, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/0607
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) assembly in which the polarization is locked to a specified direction that is the same for all VCSELs. A VCSEL according to the present invention includes a VCSEL having a top mirror region, a bottom mirror region, a light generation region between the top and bottom mirror regions, a conducting substrate and a bottom electrode. The bottom mirror region is sandwiched between the conducting substrate and the light generation region, and the conducting substrate is sandwiched between the bottom electrode and the bottom mirror region. The assembly also includes a mounting substrate having top and bottom surfaces, the VCSEL being mechanically coupled to the mounting substrate. The mounting substrate includes a means for defining a first axis. The assembly includes a means for causing the mounting substrate to flex about the first axis thereby inducing a strain in the light generation region which locks the polarization into a mode determined by the first axis. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first axis is defined by a channel in the mounting substrate. The mounting substrate is caused to flex by the application of an adhe…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.