Monolithic subwavelength gratings for VCSELs: new concept of light confinement

Monolithic subwavelength gratings (MSG) can be implemented in any material with a real refractive index larger than 1.75 without the need of the combination of low and high refractive index materials enabling total reflectance or total transmittance depending on geometrical parameters. It has a great application potential in passive and active optoelectronic devices, but mostly it has great prospects in application to monolithically integrated Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs).
I will show that:

- MSG simplifies the VCSEL construction from hundreds of layer to only few

- MSG can be integrated with metals facilitating the dual function of an emission mirror and a current injector in VCSELs.

- MSG facilitates transparent contacts

- MSG enables strong interaction of resonating light with surroundings making VCSEL a sensing device requiring no detector

- MSG solves 20 years old problem of vertical resonance in quantum cascades