The VCSELs are coming
This paper addresses the current status of 850nm VCSELs in data communications systems, and the outlook for adoption of VCSELs in other applications. In particular, recent experimental results obtained by research and development activities at Advanced Optical Components are discussed.
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are the most commonly used light source for data communications at 850nm over multimode optical fiber. Since the inception of the IEEE and Fibre Channel standards for high-speed data communications in 1997, more than 30 million VCSELs have been shipped into this application. As a result of this boom in VCSEL demand, there was a corresponding boom in VCSEL providers. Needless to say, the slowdown in the communications sector, which began in 2001, has had an impact on the growth rate of shipments, and on the long-term viability of companies in the VCSEL technology space. Figure 1(a) is a plot of the total 850nm VCSEL port shipments since commercialization in 1996. This data is taken from various marketing reports and industry surveys, and is intended to only roughly scale the entire market.
