A vertical cavity laser (VCL) including a first mirror formed adjacent a substrate,
an optical cavity formed adjacent the first mirror, a second mirror formed adjacent
the optical cavity, a first current and/or optical aperture formed within the cavity,
within the mirror or at the surface of the mirror, and an antiguide for reducing,
balancing, or reversing the index step created by the first current and/or optical
aperture. The VCL may further include a second optical aperture for confining the
optical mode to provide single mode operation.
