Abstract

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are attractive light sources for various optoelectronic applications. However, laser heating limits the device performance. The investigation of temperature effects requires that the active-region temperature be known. Usually, the red-shift Δλ of the Fabry–Perot (FP) mode wavelength is utilized to estimate a temperature T_Δλ. This wavelength increase with elevated temperature results primarily from the refractive-index rise of the optical materials inside the VCSEL. Thus, T_Δλ gives an average temperature of the resonator. The almost-linear function Δλ(T) is obtained for homogeneous laser heating (equal to heat-sink temperature) in pulsed laser operation, and it is then applied to continuous-wave (cw) operation. But in cw operation, the temperature distribution inside the laser is nonuniform.² Several heat sources at different locations have to be considered, and the maximum temperature of the active region T_a,max can be much higher than the expected value T_Δλ.

© 1995 Optical Society of America