High power single-frequency continuously-tunable compact extended-cavity semiconductor laser.
We demonstrate high power high efficiency (0:3 W) low noise single frequency operation of a compact extended-cavity surface-emitting-semiconductor-laser exhibiting a continuous tunability over 0:84 THz with high beam quality. We took advantage of thermal lens-based stability to develop a short (< 3 mm) plano-plano external cavity without any intracavity filter. The structure is optically pumped by a 1 W commercial 830 nm multimode diode laser. No heat management was required. We measured a low divergence circular TEM(00) beam at the diffraction limit (M(2) < 1:05) with a linear light polarization (> 37 dB). The side mode suppression ratio is 60 dB. The free running laser linewidth is 850 kHz limited by pump induced thermal fluctuations. Thanks to this high-Q external cavity approach, the frequency noise is low and the dynamics is in the relaxation-oscillation-free regime, exhibiting a low intensity noise, with a cutoff frequency approximately 250 MHz above which the shot noise level is reached. We show that pump properties define the cavity design and laser coherence.
Laurain
A
A
Institut d'Electronique du Sud, CNRS UMR5214, Université Montpellier 2, France.
Myara
M
M
Beaudoin
G
G
Sagnes
I
I
Garnache
A
A
D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity