Recent developments in semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) generating visible or ultraviolet light are reviewed. After an introduction on potential applications, we discuss how the combination of vertical-emitting semiconductor GaAs-based structures and intra-cavity nonlinear conversion techniques can be successfully exploited to uniquely meet demands for continuous-wave radiation in the visible and ultraviolet spectral range. To do so, an overview of the device operating principles and performance is presented highlighting the underlying material considerations, semiconductor structural designs, thermal management techniques and suitable cavity configurations. This summary is completed by a presentation of new developments in the field, with a particular focus on the trends towards miniaturization.Green-pumped direct-red-emitting Semiconductor Disk Laser.

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We report the power scaling of a diode-pumped GaAs-based 850-nm vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser, by use of an intracavity silicon carbide (SiC) heatspreader optically contacted to the semiconductor surface. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of bonding of SiC to a III-V semiconductor structure using the technique of liquid capillarity. High output power of >0.5 W in a circularly symmetric, TEM/sub 00/ output beam has been achieved with a spectral shift of only 0.6 nm/W of pump power. No thermal rollover was evident up to the highest pump power available, implying significant further output-power scaling potential using this approach

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, femtosecond-pulse operation of a Tm; Ho:NaYðWO 4 Þ 2 laser at around 2060 nm. Transform-limited 191 fs pulses are produced with an average output power of 82 mW at a 144 MHz pulse repetition frequency. Maximum output power of up to 155 mW is generated with a corresponding pulse duration of 258 fs. An ion-implanted InGaAsSb quantum-well-based semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is used for passive mode-locking maintenance.

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High-power, continuous-wave operation at red wavelengths has been achieved with a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser based on the GaInP/AlGaInP/GaAs material system. Output power of 0.4W was obtained in a linearly polarized, circularly symmetric, diffraction-limited beam. A birefringent filter inserted in the cavity allowed tuning of the laser output spectrum over a 10nm range around 674nm.

Large cross-section GaN waveguides are proposed as a suitable architecture to achieve integrated quantum photonic circuits. Directional couplers with this geometry have been designed with aid of the beam propagation method and fabricated using inductively coupled plasma etching. Scanning electron microscopy inspection shows high quality facets for end coupling and a well defined gap between rib pairs in the coupling region. Optical characterization at 800 nm shows single-mode operation and coupling-length-dependent splitting ratios. Two photon interference of degenerate photon pairs has been observed in the directional coupler by measurement of the Hong-Ou-Mandel dip

We report on the spectroscopic characterization, continuous-wave and continuous wave mode-locked laser performance of bulk Tm(3+):GPNG fluorogermanate and Tm(3+)-Ho(3+):TZN tellurite glass lasers around 2 μm. A slope efficiency of up to 50% and 190 mW of output power were achieved from the Tm(3+):GPNG laser at 1944 nm during continuous wave operation. The Tm(3+)-Ho(3+):TZN laser produced a 26% slope efficiency with a maximum output power of 74 mW at 2012 nm. The Tm(3+):GPNG produced near-transform-limited pulses of 410 fs duration centered at 1997 nm with up to 84 mW of average output power and repetition frequency of 222 MHz when was passively modelocked using an ion-implanted InGaAsSb-based quantum well SESAM. Using the same SESAM, the Tm(3+)-Ho(3+):TZN laser generated 630-fs pulses with 38 mW of average output power at 2012 nm. Data analysis of pulses at different intracavity pulse energies provided an estimation of n(2) at 2012 nm of 2.9 × 10(-15) cm(2)/W for the Tm(3+)-Ho(3+):TZN.