Fixed-Current Operation of a VCSEL Transmitter Over a Temperature Range From ${-} 20^{\circ}$ C to 80 $^{\circ}$ C Using an Elevated-Oxide-Layer Structure

We have demonstrated fixed-current operation of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) transmitter operating at 1.25 Gb/s over a wide temperature range by using an elevated-oxide-layer structure. Four different types of oxide VCSELs have been prepared for the transmitter modules; conventional-oxide and elevated-oxide-layer VCSELs with the oxide-aperture diameter of 6.6 and 10 μm, and their temperature dependence of the threshold current and turn-off transient responses have been measured. Approximately 10%-reduced both fall time and timing jitter mainly originating from the alleviated turn-off-induced abnormalities in the elevated-oxide-layer VCSEL transmitters contributed to achieve the fixed-current operation in the temperature range from 20 °C to 80 °C. Although the operating current of the elevated-oxide-layer VCSEL transmitter should be increased as the threshold current increases, a simple driving circuit owing to the fixed-current operating transmitter over a wide temperature range will bring a drastic energy saving in the optical data transmission system that incorporates VCSEL as a light source.