Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with monolithically integrated horizontal waveguides

We present the development of novel 980-nm Ga/sub 0.8/In/sub 0.2/As-GaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with an internal waveguide structure. The monolithic integration of a horizontal waveguide in the top distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) creates the potential for achieving VCSEL-based photonic integrated circuits. An AlGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs waveguide designed for horizontal propagation of light was monolithically integrated as part of the upper GaAs-AlGaAs DBR of the device. VCSELs with 9-μm apertures emitted 3-mW single-mode power with both longitudinal and lateral mode suppression ratio of 40 dB under room-temperature continuous-wave operation.