Patent ID: 6862310

Claim:
A method of stabilizing the polarization of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device, comprising: forming a plurality of symmetrical VCSEL elements capable of emitting substantially a single mode radiation of substantially the same wavelength and arranged to have a laterally patterned reflectivity so as to allow phase coupling between at least two of the plurality of symmetrical VCSEL elements; providing a phase-coupling region having a lateral dimension and a longitudinal dimension, substantially perpendicular to the major emission direction of the VCSEL device, the lateral dimension being less than the longitudinal dimension, wherein the lateral dimension is in the range from about 7 μm to about 0.1 μm, and initiating emission of radiation by injecting current within a range assuring a single mode of operation into the at least two of the plurality of VCSEL elements to produce phase-coupled radiation, wherein the polarization direction of each of the at lease two of the plurality of symmetrical VCSEL elements remains substantially constant during operation and exhibit an equal probability for radiating in one of two linear polarization states.