High-Bandwidth 940 nm VCSEL with Zn-diffusion for Optical Communications

Abstract

We present a systematic design methodology, combining simulation and experimental validation, for high-speed 940 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). A comprehensive simulation study was conducted to optimize the device structure, focusing on the number of oxide layers and the aperture size, which predicted a maximum modulation bandwidth of over 35 GHz. To validate this approach, an optimized device with a 4-μm double-oxide aperture was fabricated and characterized. Crucially, during the fabrication process, a Zn-diffused region was incorporated to further enhance device performance. The experimental results demonstrate a modulation bandwidth of 34 GHz and successful 100 Gbit/s PAM-4 data transmission. The excellent agreement between the simulated and measured performance validates the effectiveness of our design meth-odology, providing a reliable framework for developing next-generation optical inter-connects.