VCSEL research achievements have attracted widespread attention from scholars and authoritative media both domestically and internationally

01 | VCSEL inventors and international authorities jointly published a special commentary: Efficient VCSEL breaks the limits

In May this year, the concept of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers proposer and inventor from Tokyo Institute of Technology Professors Kenichi Iga and Fumio Koyama and the internationally renowned authority in the field of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers from Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, Professor Dieter Bimberg (academicians from the US, Germany, Russia, and other countries) jointly wrote a review article published in Light: Science & Applications 13, 123 (2024), stating that this achievement has realized a "high-efficiency VCSEL breakthrough limit ".

Full commentary:

VCSEL, with its high energy efficiency, low cost, and scalability of two-dimensional arrays, has become an indispensable technology in data center networks and 3D sensing fields. VCSEL's energy efficiency exceeds 50% at low bias current, showing significant advantages over edge-emitting lasers in optical interconnects for data center networks. However, in the past decade, VCSEL efficiency has not made major breakthroughs. With the rapid development of AI clusters in data centers and the rise of 3D sensing technology for autonomous driving, the demand for ultra-high-efficiency VCSELs has become particularly urgent.

The research team from Sichuan University and Suzhou Changguang Huaxin proposed a novel method based on using multiple tunnel junctions within the active region. They demonstrated a record high efficiency of 74%, with the potential to reach 88%. This breakthrough has the potential to reshape the 3D sensing and data center ecosystem, supporting the next generation of low-cost, high-efficiency, and reliable green photonic technologies. The combination of structural simplicity and excellent performance opens a new era for VCSEL photonic technology, providing unlimited opportunities for research and innovation.

In March this year, the internationally renowned semiconductor industry magazine "Semiconductor Today" published a feature article on its website about this achievement and included the special commentary in the April issue. The feature reported: Cascaded VCSEL: a breakthrough in power efficiency - room temperature performance comparable to edge-emitting devices.

"Semiconductor Today" is an independent and non-profit international semiconductor industry magazine headquartered in the UK, focusing on reporting important research progress and the latest industry trends in compound semiconductors and advanced silicon semiconductors.

Since the publication of the achievement, dozens of internationally renowned science and technology media have reported that a breakthrough in surface-emitting semiconductor laser efficiency has been achieved. The reports state: In recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has highlighted the enormous potential of VCSELs in sensing, communication, atomic clocks, optical/quantum computing, topological lasers, medical diagnostics, and other fields. Especially the demand for remote sensing technology in autonomous driving, the demand for AI computing power in high-speed data processing centers, and the growth of VCSEL applications in intelligent and quantum technologies all emphasize the importance of energy consumption as a core issue.

Professor Wang Jun from Sichuan University, the scientific team from Suzhou Changguang Huaxin, and their colleagues have achieved a breakthrough in VCSEL efficiency using multi-junction cascaded active region technology. As reviewers said, " this indeed represents a major breakthrough in a long-stagnant field. This research not only provides valuable theoretical and experimental evidence for further optimization and application of VCSELs but also offers valuable references for the further development and application of high-efficiency semiconductor lasers, with the potential to have a significant impact on green energy photonics and laser physics.

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