Recent advances in electrically pumped VECSELs for modelocking

Y. Barbarin

doi:10.1117/12.873529

21 February 2011 Recent advances in electrically pumped VECSELs for modelocking

Y. Barbarin

Proceedings Volume 7919, Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSELs); 79190H (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.873529
Event: SPIE LASE, 2011, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs) are excellent high power semiconductor lasers with diffraction-limited circular output beam and outstanding modelocking performance even at tens of GHz repetition rate. The output power can be scaled up by simply increasing the mode area on the gain region. It makes them very attractive for numerous applications such as RGB displays, biomedical imaging or optical clocking of multi-core processors. Passively modelocked optically-pumped VECSELs, using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), have generated shorter pulses and higher average powers than any other modelocked semiconductor laser (135-fs pulses at 35- mW average power and 2.1-W in 4.7-ps pulses). Electrical pumping (EP) of modelocked VECSELs is the obvious next step towards compact high-power ultrafast laser sources. In 2003, Novalux Corporation reported a continuous wave (cw) output power of nearly one Watt from their proprietary EP-VECSEL (NECSEL). The modelocking of a NECSEL has been demonstrated with 40 mW of average power in 57-ps pulses. Since then, very few EP-VECSEL results have been reported. Recently, we started to develop EPVECSELs designed for modelocking, which require an optimized balance between electrical resistance, optical losses, dispersion and beam quality. We discuss our design approach and present initial EP-VECSEL devices generating >100-mW cw power. Homogeneous current injection is achieved even for large devices, showing very good agreement with our numerical simulations. Sufficient power in a diffraction-limited beam and a carefully designed SESAM are required to modelock an EP-VECSEL.

Citation Download Citation

Y. Barbarin "Recent advances in electrically pumped VECSELs for modelocking", Proc. SPIE 7919, Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSELs), 79190H (21 February 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.873529

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available