VCSEL Module With Polymer Optical Output Rods to Enable High Efficiency Coupling for Optical Interconnection

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 21; no. 11; pp. 685 - 687
• Main Authors: Kanda, M., Ogawa, T., Mikami, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.06.2009; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Cladding; Interconnection; Joining; Optical beams; Optical coupling; Optical interconnection; Optical interconnections; Optical polymers; Optical surface waves; Optical waveguides; optoelectric printed wiring board (OE-PWB); Photonics; Prototypes; Ray tracing; Resins; Rods; Surface emitting lasers; Ultraviolet; ultraviolet (UV) curable resin; Vertical cavity surface emission lasers; Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers; vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2009.2016353

New vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) modules-designed with a optical output rod surrounded by cladding-have been proposed to realize high-efficiency low-cost optical interconnection. Prototypes have been fabricated using a photomask transfer method employing two kinds of ultraviolet curable resin. Observation of the near-field pattern and eye pattern for signal transmission shows that output rods with a diameter of 50-mum efficiently confine the laser beam as an optical waveguide. In addition, ray tracing simulation indicates that this new VCSEL offers greater positional tolerance-as much as +18/ -22 mum-for coupling to optical wiring in 90deg light path conversion.