An optical structure that reduces the effects of spontaneous emissions from the active region of a laser. An optical structure includes optimizations to reduce the effects of spontaneous emissions. The optical structure includes a VCSEL with top and bottom DBR mirrors and an active region connected to the mirrors. The optical structure further includes a photodiode connected to the VCSEL. One or more optimizations may be included in the optical structure including optically absorbing materials, varying the geometry of the structure to change reflective angles, using optical apertures, changing the reflectivity of one or more mirrors, changing the photodiode to be more impervious to spontaneous emissions, and using ion implants to reduce photoluminescence efficiency.