Patent ID: 8168456

Claim:
A method of fabricating a VCSEL comprising: forming a bottom mirror on a substrate, wherein forming a bottom mirror comprises forming alternating layers of materials with different indices of refraction with ramps between the alternating layers of materials, each ramp having a step change in composition, wherein at least a portion of the materials are doped to a conductivity type of the substrate; forming an active layer that contains quantum wells on the bottom mirror; forming a periodically doped conduction layer region that has an opposite conductivity type from the bottom mirror on and in contact with the active layer, wherein forming the periodically doped conduction layer region comprises doping portions of the conduction layer region more heavily at a location where the optoelectronic energy is at about a minimum when the VCSEL is in use; forming a thermally conductive top mirror on the conduction layer region such that the top mirror is essentially undoped and non-graded; and forming a thermally conductive intracavity contact layer on the first conduction layer and that extends to and at least partially covers a top of the top mirror.