Miniaturization and Power Scaling of Fundamental Mode Optically Pumped Semiconductor Lasers

We demonstrate that TEM₀₀ mode optically pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs) may be scaled to tens of watts in the visible wavelength range using laser cavities an order of magnitude smaller than those of conventional solid-state lasers. In particular, we show that the output power may be scaled linearly by increasing the number of optically pumped semiconductor (OPS) devices and derive a unique solution for a dynamically stable resonator that is independent of the physical cavity length and internal design. This enables miniaturization of high-power OPS lasers to ~1 cm footprints without compromising many resonator performance metrics. The results are applied to demonstrate a 15-mm footprint cavity producing 7.3-W output at 486 nm, and a cavity with two OPS chips with 24-W output at 561 nm. In addition, we show that efficient TEM₀₀ mode performance may be realized using free-space-coupled, high-power laser diode bars. Single-frequency operation is also demonstrated, and an rms noise level less than 0.01% is achieved.