Abstract

Vertical cavity optoelectronic structures, such as vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and asymmetric Fabry-Perot modulators (AFPMs), have been intensively investigated because of their potential for low threshold current (VCSELs), high speed modulation (AFPMs), and ease of fabrication, integration, and packaging. In both devices, the exact operating wavelength at the Fabry-Perot resonance is determined by vertical layer thicknesses and refractive indices, such that the round trip phase of the circulating mode within the cavity is an integer multiple of 2π. Previous attempts to tune the resonant wavelength in vertical cavity structures have relied on modulation of the refractive index, either by carrier injection [1] or resistive heating [2], In both cases, the shift in refractive index, Δn, is at most a fraction of a percent, limiting Δλ to a few nanometers in the near IR.

© 1995 Optical Society of America