Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL)

VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) Array Chips

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is a surface-emitting semiconductor light source which emits laser beams in a direction perpendicular to it’s top surface. Individual VCSEL emitters (or “apertures”) are very small, typically around 10 microns in diameter, but most often they are grouped into 2D arrays which collectively generate a much higher output power level.

There are 10 key parameters used to characterize VCSEL arrays :

(1) Wavelength
(2) Output Power
(3) Spectral Width
(4) Beam Divergence Angle
(5) Emission Area
(6) Emitter Pitch
(7) Wavelength Drift with temperature
(8) E/O Conversion Efficiency
(9) Rise Time / Fall Time
(10) Operation current and voltage range

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) have been used for many different applications.

The major application fields are:

(1) LiDAR Systems
(2) 3D Scanners
(3) Proximity Sensors
(4) Telecommunications
(5) Laser Printers