Abstract
Red-light surface-emitting lasers are expected to be applied as compact light sources for optical data links employing plastic optical fibers. InGaAlP red VCSELs have been successfully fabricated. One ofthe important subjects respecting InGaAlP VCSELs is improvement in temperature characteristics. Reduction of the active region diameter is advantageous in that threshold current is reduced, resulting in a reduction of heat generation. It is also effective for the reduction of thermal resistance, due to the heat dissipation through the upper and side regions. The control of such transverse structure is very important for obtaining high-performance VCSELs. Excellent temperature characteristics were obtained for 666-nm VCSELs with a protonimplanted planar structure.
