High-power optically pumped semiconductor lasers

Optically pumped, external-cavity, surface emitting semiconductor lasers (also known as optically pumped semiconductor lasers, OPS lasers, and vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers, VECSELs) generate near-diffraction limited beams from low brightness diode-array pumps. We have demonstrated 30 W cw at 980 nm and 15 W cw at 488 nm in a single spatial mode from these emitters and believe they can be scaled to > 100 W. Potential applications we have explored for such devices include wavelength conversion, spectral and spatial brightness conversion.