1060nm VCSEL development at Furukawa for parallel optical interconnect

This paper reviews research and development of 1060nm VCSELs at Furukawa Electric. We pursue the simultaneous realization of three strong demands for low power consumption, high reliability, and high speed. For this purpose, we have chosen compressively strained InGaAs/GaAs active layers emitting in a 1060 nm wavelength range because of their advantages of lower threshold voltage, smaller defect propagation velocity, and larger material differential gain, compared to those of GaAs/AlGaAs active layers widely used in 850 nm VCSELs. Oxide-confined and double intracavity structures provide low and stable electrical resistance as well as low optical loss. The developed VCSELs exhibited low threshold currents of 0.31 mA at 25 °C and 0.56 mA at 90 °C, together with highly uniform slope efficiency distributions throughout a wafer. We also demonstrated 10 Gbps error free transmission at a very low bias current of 1.4 mA, yielding low power dissipation operation of 0.14 mW/Gbps. Clear eye openings up to 20 Gbps were confirmed at a low bias current of 3mA. A series of endurance tests and accelerated aging tests on nearly 5000 VCSELs have proved Telcordia qualified high reliability and a very low failure rate of 30 FIT/channel at an operating temperature of 40 °C and a bias current of 6mA, with a 90% confidential level.