Vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure

FIGURE 20 Schematic representation of three types of vertical cavity surface emitting laser structures, (a) Etched mesa, (b) ion-implanted structure, (c) buried heterostructure. 

Fig. 12. Schematic of surface-emitting laser diodes where U represents the active region (a) planar cavity surface-emitting laser diode (PCSEL) with 45° etched reflectors and (b) vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode (VCSEL) with semiconductor-based multilayer mirror stacks grown into the structure.

A periodic arrangement of many epitaxially grown thin layers with lattice mismatch constitutes a strained-layer superlattice. An example of such a superlattice structure can be found in the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). As discussed by Choquette (2002) and Nurmikko and Han (2002), the control of layer thickness, elastic strain due to LAN to us mismatch, stress-driven crack formation and processing induced defects in the superlattice presents major scientific and technological challenges in the development of these devices. 

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