Patent ID: 7983572

Claim:
A device comprising: a vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising; a bottom minor; a top minor; an active region formed between the bottom minor and the top minor; a top laser contact formed over the top minor; and a bottom laser contact formed under the bottom mirror; and an electro-absorption modulator section integrated with and external to the vertical cavity surface emitting laser, the electro-absorption modulator section comprising: an n-type cladding layer; a p-type cladding layer; a top modulator contact; a bottom modulator contact; and an absorption region formed between the n-type cladding layer and the p-type cladding layer, wherein the absorption region selectively absorbs light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser to modulate the light, wherein the top and bottom modulator contacts are electrically separate and disconnected from both the top and bottom laser contacts and are used to bias the absorption region such that light emitted by the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is modulated.