Nineteen-element in-phase coherent vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser array with low side lobe intensity.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Laser Physics
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Phase-coherent Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays are crucial for high-power, high-brightness laser sources.
• Achieving a near-diffraction-limited beam from large VCSEL arrays has been a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the characteristic behavior of phase-coherent VCSEL arrays using antenna coherence theory.
• To demonstrate the fabrication of large-scale, phase-locked VCSEL arrays with improved beam quality.

Main Methods:

• Application of antenna coherence theory for theoretical evaluation.
• Fabrication of 19-element phase-locked VCSEL arrays utilizing proton implantation technology.

Main Results:

• Successfully realized large-scale (19-element) phase-locked VCSEL arrays.
• Achieved a near-diffraction-limited output beam.
• Observed a central lobe intensity approximately four times that of side lobes in far-field patterns, with an angular FWHM of 1.42 degrees.

Conclusions:

• Experimental results show good agreement with antenna coherence theory.
• The developed fabrication technology and demonstrated performance open new avenues for optimizing VCSEL array devices.
• This work advances the potential for high-performance VCSEL-based optical systems.