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

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 µm 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.