2.5 W continuous wave output at 665 nm from a multipass and quantum-well-pumped AlGaInP vertical-external-cavity...

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Semiconductor Lasers

Background:

• AlGaInP-based semiconductor disk lasers offer potential for high-power applications.
• Previous studies have explored various pumping schemes to enhance laser output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve record continuous wave (CW) output powers from an AlGaInP-based vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL).
• To investigate the performance of quantum-well (QW) and multipass pumping techniques.
• To demonstrate frequency-doubled operation at shorter wavelengths.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a quantum-well (QW) and multipass-pumped AlGaInP-based VECSEL.
• Operated the laser at a heat sink temperature of 10°C.
• Performed intracavity frequency doubling to achieve shorter wavelengths.
• Investigated power scaling by increasing pump-spot size and utilizing pump duty cycles.

Main Results:

• Achieved 2.5 W output power at 665 nm and 820 mW at 333 nm (frequency-doubled).
• These represent the highest CW output powers reported for this laser type at both wavelengths.
• Further power scaling yielded 3.3 W, though unstable; stable peak power of 3.6 W was achieved with a 50% pump duty cycle.

Conclusions:

• Optical QW pumping combined with multipass pumping is a viable strategy for high-power AlGaInP-based semiconductor disk lasers.
• Demonstrated significant potential for power scaling and frequency-doubled operation.