# US 12,015,245 B2 · Tailoring of high power VCSEL arrays

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- Number: US 12,015,245 B2
- Document ID: US12015245B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/110,120
- Filed: 2023-02-15
- Published: 2023-06-29
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2018-02-20
- Assignees: II-Vi Delaware, Inc.
- Applicants: II-VI Delaware, Inc.
- Inventors: Giuseppe Tandoi; Norbert Lichtenstein; Lukas Mutter; Andre Bisig
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015245B2

## CPC

- H01S 5/0683: by monitoring the optical output parameters
- H01S 5/18394: {Apertures, e.g. defined by the shape of the upper electrode}
- H01S 5/18311: {using selective oxidation}
- H01S 5/18391: {Aperiodic structuring to influence the near- or far-field distribution}
- H01S 5/423: {having a vertical cavity}
- H01S 5/04254: {characterised by the shape}
- H01S 5/04256: {characterised by the configuration}
- H01S 2301/18: Semiconductor lasers with special structural design for influencing the near- or far-field
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

Modification of the topology of selected regions of individual VCSEL devices during fabrication is utilized to provide an array output beam with specific characteristics (e.g., “uniform” output power across the array). These physical features include at least the width of the metal aperture, the width of the oxide aperture, and/or the geometry of the contact ring structure on the top of the VCSEL device. The modifications may also function to adjust the numerical apertures (NAs) of the devices, the beam waist, wallplug efficiency, and the like.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling optical properties of an array of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) devices, each individual VCSEL device comprising a pair of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), an active region disposed between the pair of DBRs, an oxide layer formed in proximity to the active region with a central oxide aperture defining properties of an emitted beam, a dielectric layer formed over an upper DBR of the pair of DBRs and having a contact ring opening, and a metal contact layer disposed over the dielectric layer and into the contact ring opening, the metal contact layer including a central aperture defining an emission window of the VCSEL, the method including the steps of:
a) determining an optical output property of the VCSEL array to be controlled;
b) selecting one or more physical features of a VCSEL device to be modified to provide the optical output property determined in step a), the one or more physical features selected from the group consisting of: the metal contact layer aperture and contact ring opening geometry; and
c) modifying geometries of selected physical features of individual VCSEL devices forming the VCSEL array in combination with modifying a diameter of the central oxide aperture to provide the optical output property determined in step a).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the optical output property determined in step a) is selected from the group consisting of: optical output power of the VCSEL array, wallplug efficiency of the VCSEL array, numerical aperture of each individual VCSEL device forming the VCSEL array, and beam width output of each individual VSEL device forming the VCSEL array.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the selected optical output property is controlled to be uniform in value across the VCSEL array.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the selected optical output property is controlled to be a tailored, non-uniform profile across the VCSEL array.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the metal contact layer aperture and the central oxide aperture both comprise circular apertures, a diameter of the metal contact layer aperture being greater than a diameter of the central oxide aperture, an overlap between the diameters a factor in controlling the beam width output of the individual VCEL devices.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 wherein the diameter of the central oxide aperture is varied in combination with variations in the diameter of the metal contact layer, the diameter of the central oxide aperture increasing as the diameter of the metal contact layer increases and vice versa.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein a width of the contact ring opening is varied in combination with a variation in the central oxide aperture.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein a position of the contact ring opening is varied with respect to changes in the diameter of the central oxide aperture.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each individual VCSEL further comprises a mode filter formed in a central region of the metal contact layer, the mode filter having a diameter less than the metal control layer aperture and greater than the central oxide aperture, with an overlap between the mode filter diameter and the diameter of the central oxide aperture a factor in controlling the beam width output of the individual VCEL devices.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the diameter of the central oxide aperture is varied in combination with variations in the diameter of mode filter, the diameter of the central oxide aperture increasing as the diameter of the mode filter increases and vice versa.

### Claim 11

An array of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) devices, the array exhibiting physical features tailored to provide a predetermined optical array output property, the array comprising
a plurality of individual VCSEL devices, each device comprising a pair of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), an active region disposed between the pair of DBRs, an oxide layer formed in proximity to the active region and having a central oxide aperture defining properties of an emitted beam, a dielectric layer formed over an upper DBR of the pair of DBRs and having a contact ring opening, and a metal contact layer disposed over the dielectric layer and into the contact ring opening, the metal contact layer including an aperture defining an emission window of the VCSEL,
wherein selected ones of the metal layer apertures and contact openings in the dielectric layer of selected ones of the plurality of VCSEL devices are configured to provide the desired optical array output property.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein a combination of the oxide aperture diameter and the diameter of the metal layer aperture of individual VCSEL devices is modified to provide a predetermined optical output power distribution of the VCSEL array.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein a combination of the oxide aperture diameter and the contact ring opening in the dielectric layer of individual VCSEL devices is modified to provide a predetermined optical output power distribution of the VCSEL array.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein a width of the contact ring opening is modified to provide the predetermined optical output power distribution.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein a spacing of the contact ring opening with respect to the diameter of the oxide aperture is modified to provide the predetermined optical output power distribution.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein each individual VCSEL device further comprises a mode filter formed with a central portion of the metal contact layer, a diameter of the mode filter being less than the diameter of the mental contact layer central aperture and greater than the oxide aperture diameter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 16 wherein a combination of the oxide aperture diameter and the diameter of the mode filter aperture of individual VCSEL devices is modified to provide a predetermined optical output power distribution of the VCSEL array.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein the array comprises a one-dimensional array.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 11 wherein the array comprises a two-dimensional array.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The array of VCSEL devices as defined in claim 19, wherein the physical features are tailored along both dimensions to provide a predetermined optical array output property.