Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with a tunnel junction

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array, comprising:

• an active region on an n-type bottom mirror;
• a p-type layer on the active region;
• an oxidation layer over the active region to provide optical and electrical confinement of VCSELs in the VCSEL array;
• a tunnel junction over the p-type layer to reverse a carrier type of an n-type top mirror that is over the tunnel junction, wherein the tunnel junction is over the p-type layer and the oxidation layer is on the tunnel junction;
• a dielectric layer on the n-type top mirror and on an isolation implant;
• an n-type top contact layer on the n-type top mirrors;
• and an n-type top metal on the n-type top contact layer and on the dielectric layer.

A method, comprising:

• forming an n-type bottom mirror on a surface of an n-type substrate layer;
• forming an active region on the n-type bottom mirror;
• forming a p-type layer on the active region;
• forming an oxidation layer over the active region;
• forming a tunnel junction over the p-type layer, wherein the tunnel junction is formed on the p-type layer and the oxidation layer is formed over the tunnel junction;
• forming an n-type top mirror over the tunnel junction;
• forming a dielectric layer on the n-type top mirror and on an isolation implant;
• forming an n-type top contact layer on the n-type top mirror, and forming an n-type top metal on the n-type top contact layer and on the dielectric layer.