Spatial mode discrimination in anti-guided arrays of long-wavelength VCSELs

We present the optimization of the carrier injection, heat flow and optical confinement aimed at single mode operation in anti-guiding long-wavelength VCSEL arrays. The analyzed structure incorporates InP/AlGaInAs quantum wells within an InP cavity. The cavity is bounded by GaAs/AlGaAs DBRs. The tunnel junction is responsible for carrier funneling into the active region. The air-gap etched at the interface between cavity and top DBR provides the confinement of the lateral modes. To rigorously simulate the physical phenomena taking place in the device we use a multi-physical model, which comprises three-dimensional models of optical (Plane Wave Admittance Method), thermal and electrical (Finite Element Method) phenomena. We perform an exhaustive modal analysis of a 1x3 VCSEL arrays. In the analysis we investigate the influence of the size and the distance between the emitters. As the result we illustrate the complex competition of the modes and determine the geometrical parameters favoring specific array modes in the considered array designs.