Manufacturing Process for Vertical Cavity Surface Lasers

A manufacturing process for the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) will be developed based on real time in situ monitoring and control. A fundamental challenge in spurring the wide acceptance of VCSELs lies in the development of a high yield crystal growth process. The study will focus on the following areas: the installation of complementary optical techniques such as pyrometric interferometry and optical reflection for improved in situ monitoring; the establishment of an accurate optical parameter extraction procedure that accounts for parameter variation between growth and operating temperatures; the construction and evaluations of a prototype feedback control system based on the growth of AlAs/GaAs quarter-wavelength Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) structures. Successful implementation of the project provides both experimental and theoretical framework for eventual development of a high yield manufacturing crystal growth process for VCSELs. Applications include fiber optic communication, digital printing and scanning, flat-panel display, and optical disk storage. Furthermore, VCSEL arrays can stimulate the widespread use of multi-channel optical components in the emerging information highways, next generation.