4W single transverse-mode VECSEL utilising intra-cavity diamond heat spreader

An optically pumped semiconductor vertical external cavity surface emitting laser, with high output power and excellent beam quality operating at a wavelength near 1.05 mm, is reported. A transparent diamond heat spreader was used for thermal management of the laser.The gain structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy includes 13 compressively strained InGaAs quantum wells. Maximum output power of 4 W with diffraction-limited beam (M21.15) was achieved using a 2% output coupler and incident pump power of 20 W. It is shown that power scalability is feasible with the presented laser geometry.