The National Science Foundation awarded !%Vixar%! a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract to demonstrate the feasibility of a composite resonator vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) that can achieve a 40- to 100-Gb/s serial data transmission rate. The increased Internet bandwidth demand requires higher-speed data links at all distances. For more than a decade, VCSELs have served as the engine to drive bandwidth increases at shorter distances, but conventional VCSEL technology has stalled out between 20 and 30 Gb/s. To overcome the limitations of conventional VCSELs, Vixar’s proposed patent application avoids relaxation oscillation limitations on modulation speed through the use of a dual-cavity VCSEL operated in a push-pull configuration. Under the Phase I project, Vixar will fabricate a composite resonator VCSEL (CRVCL), demonstrate the push-pull nature of the modulation to a minimum of 20 GHz, and demonstrate the reduction, or elimination, of relaxation oscillations. The new VCSELs will be essential for the development of optical interconnects within a cabinet or circuit board. Vixar manufactures VCSEL products in the wavelength range from 650 to 800 nm for sensor and device applications within the biomedical, industrial, military, automotive and consumer industries. For more information, visit: www.vixarinc.com