Pulsed Operation of VCSELs for High Peak Powers

There are a number of reasons one might drive multimode VCSELs in a pulsed mode (pulsed in this document will mean no more than 10% duty cycle). Among these are extension of battery life, noise immunity through synchronous detection, and the need for high peak powers. Advanced Optical Components (AOC) VCSELs have been designed for relatively low power applications. Despite this fact, impressive peak powers can be achieved when the driving current pulse is short enough and repeats infrequently. The desirable beam characteristics of VCSELs can be exploited in applications that meet those two conditions. The constraints on pulse width and duty cycle arise from both reliability and eye-safety considerations, as will be discussed below.