GaSb-based 2062 nm single-frequency VECSEL with 3.2 W output power

Abstract In contrast to the electrically pumped VCSEL, the optically pumped VECSELs (vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers) feature an external resonator and thus combine the power and brightness scalability of solid-state disk lasers with the wavelength versatility of semiconductor lasers using the (AlGaIn)(AsSb) material system, VECSEL in the 1.9–2.8 µ m range can be realized. In this contribution, we will report on the power scaling of single-frequency VECSEL at 2062 nm emission wavelength. Two different GaSb-based VECSEL structures are compared in terms of their basic laser parameters concomitant with their performance in a suitable resonator enabling lateral and longitudinal single mode emission. A stable, single-frequency operation could be achieved with an output power up to 3.2 W in continuous wave-operation at 18 °C heatsink temperature. The tuning behavior, noise properties and means for wavelength stabilization will be discussed.