Transverse mode control in large area oxide-confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

Summary form only given. Large area gain guided 850 nm vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) using proton implant have been widely used as the light sources for fiber optic data communication applications. The recent introduction of the native oxide confinement in VCSELs has shown some very promising results. For VCSELs with large apertures, the strong index guiding of the oxide layer can give rise to very rich transverse mode structures, which are of importance in optical fiber communication applications. We demonstrate that the vertical placement of the oxide layer is a key in controlling the transverse lasing modes of VCSELs.