This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9349, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Authors, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

The mode-locking dynamics of a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser with saturable absorber is analyzed using a microscopic many-body theory. The light field is treated at the level of Maxwell’s equations and the quantum-wells are modeled using the semiconductor Bloch equations. The carrier relaxation and the polarization dephasing dynamics is treated at different levels of approximation ranging from a simple rate approximation to the second-Born–Markov level. Examples of mode-locked pulse generation are presented identifying the regimes for stable ultra-short pulses, multiple pulse generation, and instability.

The influence of non-equilibrium carrier dynamics on pulse propagation through inverted semiconductor gain media is investigated. For this purpose, a fully microscopic many-body model is coupled to a Maxwell solver, allowing for a self-consistent investigation of the light–matter-coupling and carrier dynamics, the optical response of the laser and absorber in the multiple-quantum-well medium, and the modification of the light field through the resulting optical polarization. The influence of the intra-pulse dynamics on the magnitude and spectral dependence of pulse amplification for single pulses passing through inverted quantum-well media is identified. In this connection, the pulse-induced non-equilibrium deviations of the carrier distributions, the kinetic-hole filling kinetics in the gain medium, and the saturable-absorber-relaxation dynamics are scrutinized. While pulses shorter than about 100 fs are found to be rather unaffected by the carrier-relaxation dynamics, the pump-related dynamics become prominent for pulses in the multi-picosecond range leading to significant amplification.

VECSEL slope efficiency can be expressed as a product of the quantum defect, the output coupling efficiency, and the quantum efficiency. This last factor represents the efficiency with which pump photons incident on the sample are converted into useful laser photons. Measurements of the quantum efficiency of a VECSEL sample using pump sources over a range of wavelengths and with a range of powers and areas on the sample can be used to characterise a sample and to inform decisions about the optimum pumping conditions to achieve maximum output power given a particular pump source and gain sample. This paper will describe the results of lasing and quantum efficiency measurements of a resonant, 11 quantum well gain sample when pumped using 808 nm, 532 nm and broadband pump sources over a range of spot sizes and incident powers. Conclusions will be drawn regarding VECSEL power scaling, sample design, and the prospects for optical pumping of high power VECSELs using non-laser sources.

Optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) provide high beam quality with high average-power power at designer wavelengths. However, material choices are limited by the need for a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), usually monolithically integrated with the active region. We demonstrate DBR-free SDL active regions, which have been lifted off and bonded to various transparent substrates. For an InGaAs multi-quantum well sample bonded to a diamond window heat spreader, we achieved CW lasing with an output power of 2 W at 1150 nm with good beam quality.

Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) have proved to be versatile lasers which allow for various emission schemes which on the one hand include remarkably high-power multi-mode or single-frequency continuouswave operation, and on the other hand two-color as well as mode-locked emission. Particularly, the combination of semiconductor gain medium and external cavity provides a unique access to high-brightness output, a high beam quality and wavelength flexibility. Moreover, the exploitation of intra-cavity frequency conversion further extends the achievable radiation wavelength, spanning a spectral range from the UV to the THz. In this work, recent advances in the field of VECSELs are summarized and the demonstration of self-mode-locking (SML) VECSELs with sub-ps pulses is highlighted. Thereby, we present studies which were not only performed for a quantum-well-based VECSEL, but also for a quantum-dot VECSEL.

Over the last years we have continuously improved the performance of 1300 nm band VECSELs with wafer fused gain mirrors in the intra-cavity diamond and the flip-chip heat dissipation configurations. In this work we present recent results for gain mirrors that implement both heat-dissipation schemes applied to the same fused gain mirror structure. We demonstrate record high output powers of 7.1 W in the intra-cavity diamond heat-spreader configuration and 6.5 W in the flip-chip heat dissipation scheme. These improvements are achieved due to optimization of the wafer fused gain mirror structure based on AlGaInAs/InP-active region fused to AlAs-GaAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and application of efficient methods of bonding semiconductor gain mirror chips to diamond heatspreaders.

Optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) are presented with emphasis on wafer bonding InP-based active regions with GaAs-based distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and reducing the number of required layer pairs in the DBR. The wafer bonding is performed at a relatively low temperature of 200 °C utilizing transparent intermediate bonding layers. The reflectivity of the semiconductor DBR section is enhanced by finishing the DBR with a thin low refractive index layer and a highly reflecting metal layer. Such a design enables considerably thinner mirror structures than the conventional design, where the semiconductor DBR is finished with mere metal layers. In addition, a 90 nm thick Al₂O₃ layer is shown to produce negligible increase in the thermal resistance of the SDL. Furthermore, a flip-chip SDL with a GaAs/AlAs-Al₂O₃-Al mirror is demonstrated with watt-level output power at the wavelength of 1.32 μm. The properties and future improvement issues for flip-chip SDLs emitting at 1.3–1.6 μm are also discussed.

We report a high-power VECSEL emitting <8W around 615 nm. The gain chip of the laser was grown by plasmaassisted molecular beam epitaxy and it comprised 10 GaInNAs quantum wells. The VECSEL cavity had a V-shaped geometry and a 10-mm-long non-critically phase-matched LBO crystal for second harmonic generation. The cavity incorporated also an etalon and a birefringent filter for controlling the output wavelength. With the aid of the secondharmonic output and the infrared light leaking out from the laser cavity, the single-pass conversion efficiency of the crystal was estimated to have a value of 0.75%.

Optically pumped semiconductor (OPS) vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) are an important category of power scalable lasers with a wide range of applications in biophotonics, medicine technologies, spectroscopy, projector technologies and lithography. The open laser resonator allows to implement frequency selective and converting intra-cavity elements. The possibility of bandgap engineering, laser emission in the fundamental Gaussian mode and the technical simplicity leads to ongoing growth of the area of applications for these tunable laser sources. We present degradation studies of metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) grown, optically pumped, red-emitting AlGaInP-VECSELs with quantum wells (QWs) as active layers. Laser performance in continuous operation, pumped with a 532nm Nd:YAG laser and recorded over several hours, will be shown. Surface investigations of the gain structure via large-area photoluminescence maps show the possible consequences of optical pumping. A comparison of barrier-pumped performance data with the data of an in-well pumped VECSEL device is shown.

We report the first monolithic GaAs-based vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) operating at 1550 nm. The VECSEL is based on a gain mirror which was grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and comprises 8 GaInNAsSb/GaAs quantum wells and an AlAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflector. When pumped by an 808 nm diode laser, the laser exhibited an output power of 80 mW for a mount temperature of 16 °C.

We present a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system that comprises a mode-locked semiconductor disk laser (SDL) emitting at 1.33 μm and a bismuth-doped fiber amplifier. The mode-locked SDL was fabricated by wafer bonding an InP-based gain section with a GaAs-based distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) using (3-Mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane. The bismuth-doped fiber amplifier was pumped with a continuous wave SDL emitting at 1.18 μm. The MOPA system produced pulses at a repetition rate of 827 MHz with a pulse energy of 0.62 nJ, which corresponds to an average output power of more than 0.5 W.

Ultrafast VECSELs with high peak power are of great interest for gigahertz frequency combs, as they provide a high power per comb-line and large comb-tooth spacing. However, the detection and stabilization of the carrier-envelope-offset frequency (f_CEO) using an f-to-2f detection scheme, crucial for most frequency comb applications, requires short pulse durations around 100 fs combined with kilowatt peak power to generate a coherent octave-spanning supercontinuum. We present the detection of the f_CEO beat notes from an ultrafast semiconductor laser. The laser is a SESAM-modelocked VECSEL which generates 231-fs pulses in 100-mW average output power at a repetition rate of 1.75 GHz and a wavelength of 1040 nm. As the performance of the oscillator is not sufficient for direct f_CEO detection the pulses were amplified in an Yb-doped fiber amplifier and subsequently broadened by self-phase modulation in a large mode area fiber. The amplified pulses were compressed to a pulse duration of 85 fs at 2.2 W of average output power and launched into a highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber. A coherent octave-spanning supercontinuum covering 680 nm to 1360 nm was generated, which supported for the first time f_CEO detection from a femtosecond VECSEL in a standard f-to-2f interferometer.

We present passive mode locking of a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) in the red spectral range with quantum dots (QDs) as active material in the gain and in the absorber structure. Both semiconductor samples are fabricated by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) in a near-anti-resonant design. A vshaped cavity is used to tightly focus onto the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), producing pulses with a duration of less than 1 ps and a repetition rate of 852MHz. In order to increase the field enhancement inside the absorber structure, some SESAM samples were additionally coated with a fused silica layer. The pulse duration as well as the mode locking stability were investigated for different thicknesses of the SiO₂ layer. The most stable mode locking operation is observed for a 97 nm SiO₂ layer, while the disadvantage of this overall near-resonant SESAM structure is an increased pulse duration of around 2 ps. Due to the improved stability, the transmission of the outcoupling mirror could be increased resulting in an average output power of 10mW at an emission wavelength of 651 nm.

While Vertical-External-Cavity-Surface-Emitting-Lasers (VECSELs) have been successfully used as ultrafast laser sources with pulse durations in the hundreds of femtosecond regime, the dynamics within the semiconductor gain structure are not yet completely understood. With the high carrier densities inside the semiconductor, nonequilibrium effects such as kinetic-hole burning are expected to play a major role in pulse formation dynamics. Moreover, the nonlinear phase change by the intense light field can induce a complex dispersion, which may potentially limit the achievable pulse durations. To shed light on such nonequilibrium dynamics, we perform in-situ characterization of mode-locked VECSELs. We probe the gain media as well as the intracavity absorber with a femtosecond fiber laser source. For measuring temporal characteristics, we employ an asynchronous optical sampling technique by phase-locking the repetition rate of the VECSEL to a multiple of the probe laser with an adjustable offset frequency. This allows for probing dynamics from femtosecond to nanosecond time scales with scan rates up to hundreds of Hertz without compromise of measurement precision which can be introduced by mechanical delays covering such large temporal windows. With a resolution in the femtosecond range, we characterize gain depletion by the intracavity pulse as well as the gain recovery timescales for different power levels and operation regimes.

We present a study of the transient onset of lasing and ultrashort pulse formation in a 1-μm InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) that is mode-locked using an intracavity semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The intra-cavity power build-up transient is observed following modulation of the laser mode in the cavity. Measuring the rise of the frequency-doubled laser output with respect to the fundamental allows determination of mode-locking onset times and pulse-shortening per round trip. A grating monochromator has been used to resolve the optical spectrum of the fundamental intracavity radiation during pulse formation. Combining both measurements we can begin to provide a comprehensive description of pulse formation in VECSELs.

This paper will describe the current state-of-the-art in commercial mode-locked Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSEL) and demonstrate their efficacy in key applications. Based on indium gallium arsenide quantum well gain structures, our systems operate between 920 nm – 1050 nm with >1 W output powers, 200 MHz pulse repetition rate and <1 ps pulse duration. Crucially, the development issues that have been overcome to bring this promising technology to market will be discussed. These include: thermal management challenges, electronic control system development and robust mechanical design requirements. Having the potential to replace more conventional titanium sapphire laser technology where wavelength flexibility can be traded off against a significantly lower cost point and form factor, we will discuss the use of VECSELs in key applications such as nonlinear microscopy.

The commercialization of the NECSEL visible extended cavity surface emitting laser is described. The laser generates a typical output power of greater than 3W with many discrete wavelengths available from ~521nm to 555nm.

We have achieved a 21.2% wall-plug efficiency green laser at 532 nm based on an electrically pumped vertical externalcavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) through intracavity second harmonic generation. The continuous-wave green output power was 3.34 W. The VECSEL gain device is cooled by using a thermoelectric cooler, which can greatly benefit packaging. Both power and efficiency can be further scaled up by optimizing external-cavity design and improving the performance of VECSEL gain device.

In the assembly of optical resonators of optically pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSL), the highly reflective resonator mirror is the most crucial component. In previous cooperation, Coherent and Fraunhofer IPT have developed a robust active alignment strategy to optimize the output power of the OPSL resonator using search strategies for finding the laser threshold as well as hill-climbing algorithms for maximizing the output power. Beam-shape as well as the laser mode have major influence on the quality and the duration of subsequent beam-shaping and fiber-coupling steps. Therefore, the alignment algorithm optimizing the output power has been extended recently by simultaneous image processing for ensuring a Gaussian beam as the result of alignment. The paper describes the enhanced approach of automated alignment by additionally scanning along the optical resonator and subsequently evaluating and optimizing the roundness of the beam as well as minimizing the beam radius through twisting and tilting of the mirror. A quality metric combining these measures is defined substituting an M² measurement. The paper also describes the approach for automated assembly including the measuring setup, micromanipulation and dispensing devices.

Experiments in atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics rely on lasers at many different wavelengths and with varying requirements on spectral linewidth, power and intensity stability. Optically pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs), when combined with nonlinear frequency conversion, can potentially replace many of the laser systems currently in use. We are developing a source for laser cooling and spectroscopy of Mg⁺ ions at 280 nm, based on a frequency quadrupled OPSL with the gain chip fabricated at the ORC at Tampere Univ. of Technology, Finland. This OPSL system could serve as a prototype for many other sources used in atomic and molecular physics.

We present a single semiconductor disk laser simultaneously emitting two different gigahertz modelocked pulse trains. A birefringent crystal inside a modelocked integrated external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MIXSEL) separates the cavity beam into two spatially separated beams with perpendicular polarizations on the MIXSEL chip. This MIXSEL then generates two orthogonally polarized collinear modelocked pulse trains from one simple straight cavity. Superimposing the beams on a photo detector creates a microwave beat signal, representing a strikingly simple setup to down-convert the terahertz optical frequencies into the electronically accessible microwave regime. This makes the dual-comb MIXSEL scheme an ultra-compact and cost-efficient candidate for dual-comb spectroscopy applications.

We report our recent advances on using coherent spectral broadening in normal dispersion photonic crystal fiber, followed by subsequent compression using a high efficiency transmission grating compressor to reduce the pulse duration of the pulse train generated by our mode-locked VECSELs from 400 fs, to close to 100 fs, where coherent supercontinuum generation becomes feasible. Using this approach we have, to date, generated pulses of duration 160 fs, and achieved average powers of > 0.5 W from the compressed output.

We evaluate a dual-frequency and dual-polarization optically-pumped semiconductor laser emitting at 852 nm as a new laser source for compact atomic clocks based on the coherent population trapping (CPT) technique. The frequency difference between the laser modes is tunable to 9.2 GHz corresponding to the ground state hyperfine-split of Cs. Impact of the laser noise has been investigated. Laser relative intensity noise is limited by the pump-𝑅𝐼𝑁 transfer to a level of - 110 dB/Hz. Laser frequency noise shows excess mechanical and technical noise resulting in a laser linewidth of 1 MHz at 1 s in lock operation. The noise performance and spectral properties of the laser are already adequate to realize CPT experiments and should result in Allan standard-deviation of the clock below 1 × 10^-12 at 1 second.

In this work we report on the simulation of electrically pumped vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (EP-VECSELs). We simulate an etched mesa structure (substrate emission) with the substrate acting as the current spreading layer. The effect of contact misalignment on the carrier distribution within the active element is explored and confirms the validity of the model in describing the carrier distribution. We go on to discuss the effects of the substrate thickness and trench depth on the intensity profile. Simulation results show that a thicker substrate and a trench partially etched into the substrate may improve the intensity profile in future devices.

We report on the development of a high-power vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) emitting around 1180 nm. The laser emitted 50 W of output power when the mount of the gain chip was cooled to -15°C. The output power was measured using a 97% reflective cavity end-mirror. The VECSEL was arranged to form an I-shaped cavity with a length of ~100 mm; the gain chip and a curved dielectric mirror (RoC=150) acting as cavity end mirrors. The gain chip was grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and incorporated 10 GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells. For efficient heat extraction, the chip was capillary bonded to a diamond heat spreader which was attached to a TEC-cooled copper mount. The maximum optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 28% was achieved for 42 W of output power and -15°C mount temperature.