Sean P. Kilcoyne

10-Gb/s VCSEL-based data links

Standards activities for the next generation of Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, are underway. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) offer significant advantages for realizing cost-effective, high speed optical data links. The progress towards achieving 10 Gb/s VCSEL-based links is reviewed.

High temperature 1300 nm VCSELs for single-mode fiber-optic communication

Gore Photonics has reported a new long-wavelength VCSEL structure that employs an electrically pumped short-wavelength VCSEL optical pump to drive a 1300 nm VCSEL, as an alternative to direct current injection. In this paper, we provide an update on the recent progress of devices using this structure. In addition to improving power, temperature performance, and speed, our efforts have been focused on making reliable, mechanically robust devices compatible with standard packages.

Long-wavelength vertical-cavity laser research at Gore

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) operating near 1310 or 1550 nm have been the subject of intensive research by multiple groups for several years. In the past year at Gore, we have demonstrated the first 1300 nm VCSELs which operate with useful power, high modulation rate, and low voltage over the commercial temperature range of 0 - 70 degree(s)C. These results have been achieved using a new structure in which an 850 nm VCSEL optical pump is integrated with the 1300 nm VCSEL. Electrical drive is applied to the 850 nm pump, and 1300 nm light is emitted from the integrated structure. This approach has resulted in over a milliwatt of single transverse mode power at room temperature, and several hundred microwatts of single transverse mode power at 70 degree(s)C. In addition, these devices demonstrate multi-gigabit modulation and excellent coupling efficiency to single-mode fiber.

nLighten parallel optical modules

System architects in the communications and computing industries have been waiting for the arrival of cost effective fiber optic links to relieve the copper BW*distance constraint for intra and short reach inter-system connections. Parallel optics has been targeted at this application space for several years, but up until the current generation of systems, these applications largely remained copper. The current change-over in interconnect media is partially due to the engineering challenge in meeting performance requirements with electrical interconnects as well as the progress in parallel fiber optic components. Gore has been investigating aggressively in the research and development of the technologies required for producing high bandwidth, reliable, and cost effective parallel fiber optic links. The first commercialization of this effort will be the nLIGHTEN parallel optical modules. This paper details the design, fabrication, and operation of this high performance, short haul communication system.

Seamless migration to VCSEL-based optical data links

Applications for serial and parallel fiber optic data links are reviewed along with the barriers to widespread commercial adoption. An alternative migration path from copper to optical media, enabled by VCSEL technology, is investigated including initial performance results.

Connectorized parallel modules for the very short reach fiber optic market

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1300 nm VCSELs with Integrated Optical Pump for High-Speed Fiber-OpticCommunications

In the last several years, 850 nm vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have emerged as a viable communication source, in short distance multi-mode datalinks.