Optically-pumped surface-emitting semiconductor laser with heat-spreading compound mirror-structure

1. A gain-module for an optically-pumped semiconductor laser, comprising:

a multilayer semiconductor gain-structure surmounting a compound minor-structure, the compound minor-structure being in thermal communication with a heat-sink; and

the compound minor-structure including a first plurality of layers of material adjacent the gain-structure and being partially reflective and partially transmissive at a fundamental wavelength characteristic of the gain-structure, a layer of diamond bonded to the first mirror, and a second plurality of layers adjacent the layer of diamond and configured such that the compound minor is highly reflective at the fundamental wavelength and wherein the diamond layer facilitates heat transfer from the gain structure to the heat sink.

2. The module of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of layers has a reflectivity at the gain-structure between about 50% and about 99%, the diamond layer has a thickness between about 0.1 millimeters and about 2.0 millimeters, and the compound mirror-structure has a peak-reflectivity greater than about 99.7% at the fundamental wavelength.

3. The module of claim 2 wherein the gain structure includes active layers spaced apart by spacer layers and wherein the active layers are formed from InGaAs and the spacer layers are formed from GaAsP.

4. The module of claim 3 , wherein the first plurality of layers in the compound mirror-structure includes alternating layers of AlAs and GaAs.

5. The module of claim 4 , wherein the fundamental wavelength is about 1054 nm.

6. The module of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the first layers is about a quarter wavelength at the fundamental wavelength.

7. The module of claim 6 wherein the thickness of the second layers is about a quarter wavelength at the fundamental wavelength.

8. The module of claim 1 wherein the lateral dimensions of the diamond heat spreader are about 1.5 times the greater than the lateral dimensions of the gain structure.

9. An optically pumped semiconductor (OPS) laser, comprising:

a gain-module including a multilayer semiconductor gain structure surmounting a multilayer mirror-structure, the gain-module being supported on a heat sink, with the mirror-structure between the gain structure of the heat sink;

a laser-resonator formed by the mirror-structure of the gain-module and at least one other mirror; and

wherein the multilayer minor-structure includes an intermediate layer of diamond having a thickness between about 0.1 millimeters and about 2 millimeters and wherein the diamond layer facilitates heat transfer from the gain structure to the heat sink.

10. The laser of claim 9 wherein multilayer minor-structure includes a first plurality of layers of material between the diamond layer and the gain-structure, the first plurality of layers being partially reflective and partially transmissive for the fundament-wavelength radiation, and a second plurality of layers between the diamond layer and the heat-sink and configured cooperative with the first plurality of layers such that the minor-structure is highly reflective at the fundamental wavelength.

11. The laser of claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of layers has a reflectivity at the gain-structure between about 50% and about 99%, and the minor-structure has a peak-reflectivity greater than about 99.7% at the fundamental wavelength.

12. The laser of claim 11 , further including a source of pump-radiation arranged to deliver optical pump radiation into the gain-structure of the gain-module thereby causing fundamental radiation having a wavelength characteristic of the gain-structure of the gain-module to circulate in the laser-resonator.

13. The laser of claim 12 , further including an optically non-linear crystal located in the laser-resonator and arranged to convert circulating fundamental-wavelength radiation into radiation having a different wavelength, and wherein the laser-resonator is arranged to deliver the different-wavelength radiation as output radiation.

14. A gain module for an optically pumped semiconductor laser comprising:

a multilayer semiconductor gain structure;

a first set of semiconductor layers on one surface of the gain structure and arranged to provide a partial reflectivity at the fundamental wavelength of the gain structure of between 50% and 98%;

a diamond heat spreader thermally coupled to the first set of semiconductor layers;

a second set of layers formed on the diamond heat spreader on a surface opposed to the first set of layers and arranged to provide a reflectivity at the fundamental wavelength of at least 99%; and

a heat sink thermally coupled to the second set of layers.

15. A gain module as recited in claim 14 wherein the thickness of the layers in the first set is about a quarter wavelength at the fundamental wavelength.

16. A gain module as recited in claim 15 wherein the thickness of the layers in the second set is about a quarter wavelength at the fundamental wavelength.

17. A gain module as recited in claim 14 wherein the lateral dimensions of the diamond heat spreader are about 1.5 times the greater than the lateral dimensions of the gain structure.