Single-mode-VCSEL with a ring-shaped self-aligned recessed metal mode filter

This article presents a single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) using a novel ring-shaped self-aligned recessed metal (SARM) mode filter on the emitting window as a means of transverse mode control. The SARM structure acts as a spatial filter to suppress the higher-order transverse modes through selective recessed-etching of the top mirror and the self-aligned deposition of the p-type contact metals for cavity tuning and blocking the higher-order modes. The SARM mode filter could be a potentially high-yield alternative technique for the mass production of single-mode VCSELs, demonstrating a single-mode emission with 1.55-mW power and a 30.7-dB side mode suppression ratio.