Nanosecond Pulse Generation in Optically Pumped Dual-Wavelength Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser

Abstract

In this study, nanosecond-pulse lasing was achieved using a vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) with only a single gain chip. A simple linear-cavity setup was used for the VECSEL, and pulsed lasing with a pulse width of ~9 ns and a repetition frequency of ~54 MHz was achieved. Dual-wavelength lasing at 974 and 978 nm was observed. The average output power during pulsed operation exceeded 100 mW. As the pumping power was increased, the laser output power could be switched off. However, stable dual-wavelength emission was maintained. The maximum output power under dual-wavelength operation could reach 455 mW.