Efficient Gallium–Arsenide Disk Laser

Means that may optimize the efficiency of semiconductor disk lasers (optically pumped vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers) are discussed: the direct pumping of the quantum wells (QWs), the optimization of the interaction of the QWs with pump and laser field and the reduction of resonator losses by employing a dielectric/semiconductor Bragg reflector on the front face of the disk. GaAs-AlGaAs-quantum-well disk lasers designed accordingly achieved slope efficiencies of 67% and optical efficiencies of 55% (based on the absorbed pump power) with output powers well above 1 W and a pump absorption efficiency of 80%. With an additional simple pump re-imaging an output power of 1.6 W was realized with an optical efficiency of 50% related to the incident pump power.