VCSEL is uniquely positioned to be integrated from highly miniaturized Photonic Integrated Circuits to sophisticated optical fiber or free-space instruments.
Optical systems can be made with free-space optics or fiber optics for devices for small to medium volume applications where size constraints are relaxed. The VCSEL can easily be packed in a TO package for free space and pigtailed for fiber delivery which forms the basis of the optical integration in the VCSEL Swept Source. Light sources with fiber output are easy to work with and integrate in any optical system.with a single-mode fiber and interface to contact to any optical imaging system.
Recently there has been a rapid development in Photonics Integrated Circuits which offers the possibility to integrate optical functionality known from optical fiber and free-space system into a single chip. This is advantageous for large volume applications where size is a constraint. The small VCSEL chip area of 250×250 um and surface-emission makes it possible to integrate using direct transfer technology to PICs with efficient optical coupling to surface gratings.
