SBIR Phase I: Extended Performance Red VCSELs

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将评估显着提高红色vcsel输出功率、工作温度范围和可靠性的可行性。第一阶段项目的目标是开发一种650-680nm vcsel的设计方法，该方法将使工作温度范围增加20℃，将输出功率提高30%以上，并将50℃下的使用寿命提高到3000小时。第一阶段的工作还将为进一步的开发提供更实质性的性能改进。该项目将使用现有的外延晶片来测试一种新的制造方法，以改善载流子注入并从器件中去除热量。本文的工作将加深对影响红色vcsel高温性能的设计特征的理解。如果目标得以实现，该活动将大大提高与商业上重要应用有关的红色vcsel的性能。除了更全面地了解设计参数的影响外，还将对技术极限的预测进行估计和修改。对影响设备可靠性的参数的理解也将得到发展。第一阶段计划提出的方法打破了制造vcsel的传统模型，通过实施混合集成方法，可以影响限制该技术的基本问题。如果成功，结果将开辟广泛的商业机会，将受益于vcsel的性能特点，包括用于家庭和汽车的塑料光纤，激光打印，工业传感，军用激光雷达和医疗传感。到目前为止，由于该范围之外的器件存在材料挑战，唯一商用的vcsel的波长范围为780nm至850nm。所提出的工作可能适用于各种VCSEL波长（长波长侧，即1310nm至1550nm存在类似的热问题），以及其他可能受热问题限制的光电器件。在商业上，红色VCSEL性能的显著增强可以使基于塑料光纤的家庭和汽车网络迁移到更高的数据速率（Gbps vs Mbps），可以实现更快、更高质量的激光打印，可以促进更远的距离和更精确的运动控制传感，并实现使用光谱吸收或荧光进行检测的新型便携式或可穿戴医疗传感。为这些应用带来额外价值的能力反过来又为红色vcsel的供应商开辟了一个重要的商业机会。该项目也有教育成分，因为学生实习生将协助该项目，并将提高对技术的理解，以及接触转移技术以推动商业活动的过程。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will evaluate the feasibility of significantly improving the output power, temperature range of operation, and reliability of red VCSELs. The objective of the Phase I project is to develop a design approach for 650-680nm VCSELs that will increase the temperature range of operation by 20 deg C, improve the output power by greater than 30% and improve lifetime at 50 deg C to 3000 hours. The Phase I work will also provide the insight for even more substantial performance improvements for further developments. This project will use existing epitaxial wafers to test a novel fabrication approach for improving carrier injection and remove heat from the devices. This proposed work will enhance the understanding of the design features impacting the high temperature performance of red VCSELs. If the objectives are achieved, the activity will significantly improve the performance of red VCSELs relevant to commercially important applications. In addition to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the design parameters, the prediction of the limits of the technology will be estimated and modified. An understanding of the parameters affecting device reliability will also be developed. The approach proposed for this Phase I program breaks out of the traditional model for fabricating VCSELs, by implementing a hybrid integration approach that can impact the fundamental issues limiting the technology. If successful, the results will open up a wide range of commercial opportunities that would benefit from the performance characteristics of VCSELs, including plastic optical fiber for homes and automobiles, laser printing, industrial sensing, military LIDAR, and medical sensing. To date, the only commercially available VCSELs have been in the wavelength range of 780nm to 850nm, due to the materials challenges existing of devices outside this range. The proposed work may be applicable to a variety of VCSEL wavelengths (similar thermal issues exist on the long wavelength side, i.e. 1310nm to 1550nm), as well as other optoelectronic devices that may be limited by thermal issues. Commercially, a significant enhancement in red VCSEL performance can enable the migration of plastic fiber based home and auto networks to higher data rates (Gbps vs Mbps), can enable faster and higher quality laser printing, can facilitate longer distance and more precise motion control sensing, and enable new types of portable or wearable medical sensing that uses spectroscopic absorption or fluorescence for detection. The ability to bring this additional value to these applications in turn opens up a significant business opportunity for the suppliers of red VCSELs. The project also has an educational component, in that a student intern will assist on the project, and will develop an improved understanding of the technology, as well as exposure to the process of transferring technology to drive a business activity.