April 30, 2004 Ithaca, NY -- BinOptics Corp. has announced the availability of surface-emitting lasers manufactured using its proprietary etched facet technology platform. The new Horizontal Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (HCSEL) combines the power and high reliability of an edge-emitting laser with the low cost and ease of packaging of a VCSEL, company asserts.

The BinOptics device integrates a horizontal laser cavity with a 45 degree etched reflecting mirror to direct the output beam vertically. The first product is a 1310-nm Fabry-Perot (FP) laser designed for uncooled operation at data rates of 2.5 Gbits/sec with an optical output power of 20 mW and a slope efficiency of up to 0.3 W/A. This product is available with or without an integrated monitoring photodetector (MPD). The laser is designed to fill the gap between long-wavelength VCSELs and conventional FP lasers.

BinOptics claims its 1310-nm HCSEL delivers all the advantages of VCSELs. In addition the device uses "proven" edge-emitting materials and the company's etched facet technology to achieve what BinOptics calls "a new level of cost-effectiveness and performance." Monolithic integration of the MPD further reduces cost.