ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
                              &
           IEEE LASERS AND ELECTROOPTICS SOCIETY


                Holiday Party & Dec. Meeting

Date:  Thursday, 16 Dec. 1999
Time:  6:30 PM Christmas Party, 7:30 PM talk
Place: Damon Room
       NCAR
       1850 Table Mesa Dr
       Boulder, CO


Title: High-Performance Oxide VCSELs

       Jack L. Jewell
       Chief Technical Officer
       Picolight Inc.
       Boulder, CO


Abstract:

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) were first 
demonstrated over 20 years ago.  However, like edge-emitting 
semiconductor lasers, commercialization has awaited 
sufficient development and a large-market application for 
which they are uniquely suited.  That time has arrived, and 
VCSELs are appearing in low-cost high-performance optical 
data links.  Fueled by VCSEL-based products and driven by the 
needs of ever-faster and higher-capacity computer technology, 
datacommunications will see explosive growth for at least 
another decade.  VCSELs are amenable to wafer-level automated 
testing, single-device or arrayed components, low-cost 
plastic-encapsulated packaging, simple optics, and multi-
gigahertz modulation at very low currents.  They also exhibit 
very high reliability.  These are only some of the qualities 
which make VCSELs the uncontested favorite to fuel the growth 
in datacom.  Underlying these commercially-relevant 
characteristics are some very interesting physical properties 
of VCSELs.  Their cavities are typically 1-2 orders of 
magnitude smaller than edge-emitters, which affects their 
drive requirements and power outputs.  This presentation will 
provide a broad overview of VCSEL technology, concentrating 
on the present capabilities, and future opportunities.


Biography:

Dr. Jewell has been a strong contributor to the development 
and commercialization of VCSELs.  His pioneering experiments 
in 1989 sparked intensive worldwide VCSEL research and 
development.  In 1991 he co-founded Vixel Corporation 
(originally Photonics Research Inc.) which was the first 
company committed to VCSEL commercialization.  VCSELs are now 
high-volume products which promise to revolutionize data 
communications and other fields.  Founded by Jewell in 1995, 
Picolight has experienced rapid growth in the last 2 years, 
and is presently commercializing advanced VCSEL products for 
low-cost and high-performance datacom applications.

Dr. Jewell received the AT&T Bell Labs Distinguished Member 
of Technical Staff Award in 1991, the Distinguished Inventor 
Award in 1991, and was an IEEE/LEOS Distinguished Lecturer in 
1991-92.  He has 47 U.S. Patents and over 150 publications.