Low quantum-defect intra-cavity-pumped semiconductor disk lasers
View Patent ↗An intra-cavity-pumped semiconductor disk laser (ICP-SDL) is disclosed that includes a laser cavity bounded at a first laser cavity end by a first reflective member and at a second laser cavity end by a first partially reflective member; and a membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MECSEL) arranged within the laser cavity between the first end and the second end.
1 . An intra-cavity-pumped semiconductor disk laser (ICP-SDL) comprising:
a membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MECSEL) comprising a MECSEL gain medium having a plane of the MECSEL gain medium that is orthogonal to a direction of a MECSEL resonator, bounded at a first resonator end by a first reflective member and at a second resonator end by a second reflective or partially reflective member; and
an external pump laser resonator comprising a pump laser gain medium inside the external pump laser resonator bounded by a first external reflector and a second external reflector, wherein the MECSEL is arranged in the external pump laser resonator, wherein the external pump laser resonator is configured to optically pump the MECSEL, and wherein the external pump laser resonator is oriented so that the external pump laser resonator is not in the plane of the MECSEL gain medium.
2 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein the external pump laser resonator is bounded at a first pump cavity end by a second reflective member and at a second pump cavity end by a third reflective member.
3 . The ICP-SDL of claim 2 , wherein the second reflective member is arranged outside and along a common axis to the MECSEL resonator.
4 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein the external pump laser resonator is arranged at an angle to the MECSEL resonator.
5 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein the external pump laser resonator is arranged at a common axis to the MECSEL resonator, wherein the first reflective member and the second reflective member are shared by the external pump laser resonator and the MECSEL resonator.
6 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein a pump wavelength of a pump laser beam produced by the external pump laser resonator is determined based on the MECSEL gain medium.
7 . The ICP-SDL of claim 6 , wherein the MECSEL gain medium comprises quantum wells, quantum dots, or bulk semiconductor material or alloy.
8 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein the external pump laser resonator comprises a rare-earth doped solid-state laser, an external-cavity laser, a semiconductor disk laser, or a gas laser.
9 . The ICP-SDL of claim 8 , wherein the external pump laser resonator comprises the rare-earth doped solid-state laser, and wherein the rare-earth doped solid state laser comprises a Nd:YAG, Yb:YAG, or a Nd:YVO 4 .
10 . The ICP-SDL of claim 1 , wherein the external pump laser resonator is configured to pump the MECSEL in an orientation where all a pump laser beam is orthogonal to the plane of the MECSEL gain medium.
11 . A method of lasing using an intra-cavity-pumped semiconductor disk laser (ICP-SDL) comprising:
forming a membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser (MECSEL) comprising a MECSEL gain medium having a plane of the MECSEL gain medium that is orthogonal to a direction of a MECSEL resonator, bounded at a first resonator end by a first reflective member and at a second resonator end by a second reflective or partially reflective member; and
forming an external pump laser resonator comprising a pump laser gain medium inside the external pump laser resonator bounded by a first external reflector and a second external reflector, wherein the MECSEL is arranged in the external pump laser resonator, wherein the external pump laser resonator is configured to optically pump the MECSEL, and wherein the external pump laser resonator is oriented so that the external pump laser resonator is not in the plane of the MECSEL gain medium.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the external pump resonator is bounded at a first pump cavity end by a second reflective member and at a second pump cavity end by a third reflective member.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the second reflective member is arranged outside and along a common axis to the MECSEL resonator.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the external pump resonator is arranged at an angle to the MECSEL resonator.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the external pump laser resonator is arranged at a common axis to the MECSEL resonator, wherein the first reflective member and the second reflective member are shared by the external pump laser resonator and the MECSEL resonator.
16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein a pump wavelength of a pump laser beam produced by the external pump laser resonator is determined based on MECSEL gain medium.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the MECSEL gain medium comprises quantum wells, quantum dots, or bulk semiconductor material or alloy.
18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the external pump laser resonator comprises a rare-earth doped solid state laser, an external-cavity laser, a semiconductor disk laser, or a gas laser.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the external pump laser resonator comprises the rare-earth doped solid-state laser, and wherein the rare-earth doped solid state laser comprises a Nd:YAG, Yb:YAG, or a Nd:YVO 4 .
20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the external pump laser is configured to pump the MECSEL in an orientation where all a pump laser beam is orthogonal to the plane of the MECSEL gain medium.