Electro-absorption modulator integrated with a vertical cavity surface emitting laser

1. A device comprising:

a vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising;

a bottom minor;

a top minor;

an active region formed between the bottom minor and the top minor;

a top laser contact formed over the top minor; and

a bottom laser contact formed under the bottom mirror; and

an electro-absorption modulator section integrated with and external to the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, the electro-absorption modulator section comprising:

an n-type cladding layer;

a p-type cladding layer;

a top modulator contact;

a bottom modulator contact; and

an absorption region formed between the n-type cladding layer and the p-type cladding layer, wherein the absorption region selectively absorbs light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser to modulate the light,

wherein the top and bottom modulator contacts are electrically separate and disconnected from both the top and bottom laser contacts and are used to bias the absorption region such that light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is modulated.

2. The device of claim 1 , the electro-absorption modulator section being monolithically formed with the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electro-absorption modulator section has a bandedge that is blue shifted relative to a bandedge of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bandedge of the electro-absorption modulator section is blue-shifted in a range from 10 nanometers to 150 nanometers.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bandedge of the electro-absorption modulator section is blue-shifted in a range from 10 to 100 nanometers when the vertical cavity surface emitting laser lases at about 1310 nanometers or at 1550 nanometers.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom minor and the top mirror each comprise distributed Bragg reflector layers.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an insulation layer positioned between the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and the modulator contact of the electro-absorption modulator section that is closest to the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, the insulation layer preventing a potential at the closest modulator contact from influencing current in the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the insulation layer is doped to achieve a lattice match and a semi-insulating property.

9. A device as defined in claim 7 , wherein the insulation layer is non-conductive and/or is grown without any intentional doping.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electro-absorption modulator section further comprises a pair of DBR mirrors that sandwich at least the absorption region.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is a constant wave light source.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the electro-absorption modulator section is configured for at least one of an InP or GaAs based vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

13. A device comprising:

a vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) minor;

a second DBR minor;

an active region sandwiched by the first DBR minor and the second DBR minor;

a top laser contact formed over the top first DBR mirror; and

a bottom laser contact formed under the second DBR minor; and

an electro-absorption modulator (EAM) monolithically integrated with, and located external to, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, the EAM comprising:

an absorption region sandwiched by a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer, wherein a bandedge of the absorption region is blue-shifted relative to a bandedge of the active region of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser;

a third DBR mirror and a fourth DBR mirror that form a cavity that includes the absorption region;

a top modulator contact; and

a bottom modulator contact,

wherein the top and bottom modulator contacts are electrically separate and disconnected from both the top and bottom laser contacts and are used to bias the absorption region such that light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is modulated.

14. The device as defined claim 13 , further comprising a semi-insulating layer positioned between the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and the modulator contact of the electro-absorption modulator section that is closest to the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, the semi-insulating layer preventing a potential at the closest modulator contact from influencing current in the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

15. A device as defined in claim 14 , wherein the semi-insulating layer is doped.

16. A device as defined in claim 15 , wherein the semi-insulating layer is doped with iron.

17. A device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the bottom modulator contact is a p contact and the top modulator contact is an n contact, the p contact and the n contact enabling a voltage to be applied across the EAM.

18. A device as defined in claim 17 , wherein the absorption region selectively absorbs light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser such that the light is modulated based on the voltage applied across the EAM.

19. A device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is a constant light wave source.

20. A device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the absorption region is a block material.

21. A device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the active region of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes at least one of quantum wells or quantum dots.

22. A device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the EAM is configured for at least one of an InP or GaAs based vertical cavity surface emitting laser.