Effects of detuning on wide-temperature behavior of 25 Gbaud 850nm VCSELs

Emerging markets for optical interconnects with VCSEL-based transceivers require VCSELs with superior wide temperature performance. One of the prime parameters controlling the temperature dependence of VCSEL performance is wavelength detuning. We study the impact of detuning on the performance of 25 Gbaud class 850 nm VCSELs over a temperature range of -40 to 125°C, as applicable to e.g. automotive optical networking. Two VCSELs with different detuning, but otherwise identical, are compared. Basic static and dynamic performance parameters and their temperature dependencies are extracted. The results show that with appropriate detuning, sufficient performance at the temperature extremes and improved tolerance to temperature variations can be achieved. Excessive detuning to meet the more challenging high temperature performance requirements leads to insufficient low temperature performance.