Patent ID: 7627015

Claim:
A method for making an electrical device that includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) suitable for self mixing applications, comprising: selecting an operating temperature for a VCSEL to be incorporated into the electrical device; selecting a laser doppler velocimeter comprising the VCSEL and being configured to measure movement of an object relative to the VCSEL, wherein the VCSEL comprises: a bottom DBR mirror formed on a substrate; an active region formed on the bottom mirror; a top DBR mirror formed on the active region; contacts electrically coupled to the active region; and the VCSEL having a T 0 where T 0 is defined by the temperature at which a threshold current of the VCSEL is at a minimum and wherein the VCSEL is selected so that the T 0 is greater than the selected operating temperature; and incorporating the laser doppler velocimeter into the electrical device and configuring the electrical device such that the VCSEL operates at the selected operating temperature, thereby making the laser doppler velocimeter sensitive to light reflected back into the VCSEL.