Record high temperature, high output power red VCSELs

Red VCSELs are of interest for medical and industrial sensing, printing, scanning, and consumer electronics applications. This paper will describe the optimization of red VCSEL design to achieve improved output power and a broader temperature range of operation. We will also discuss alternative packaging approaches and in particular will describe non-hermetic packages and performance of the VCSELs in a humid environment. Record output power of 14mW CW and a record maximum temperature of operation of 105 C have been achieved at an emission wavelength of 680nm. The achievement is the result of attention to many details including resonance cavity-gain peak offset, material choices, current and mode confinement approaches, and metal aperture design. We have also demonstrated lifetimes >1000 hours for non-hermetic packages in an 85% humidity environment. A chip on board approach has been used to create a large scale linear array of VCSELs for a scanning application.