Displacement damage effects in proton irradiated vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Abstract

Abstract The displacement damage effects of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) irradiated by 3 and 10 MeV protons in the range of Ф = 6.7 × 1012 p cm−2 to Ф = 1.6 × 1014 p cm−2 were investigated. The threshold current exhibited consistent degradation at the same displacement damage dose, as did the series resistance. Additionally, the external quantum efficiencies of 850 and 680 nm VCSELs were degraded by 2% and 21%, respectively. Further, the threshold current of the 850 nm VCSEL was restored by 14% after annealing at 20 mA, which is remarkably higher than that achieved by annealing only at high temperatures. These results support the applicability of VCSELs to both data communication and instrumentation applications in harsh radiation environments.