Abstract
Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have been used to optically pump a planar-cavity, Nd:YVO 4 microchip laser. Lasing was achieved with a minimum pump power of 0.8 mW from a 10 μm diameter, circular aperture VCSEL. The microchip laser operates in a fundamental Gaussian mode of 40– 50 μm diameter for a range of pump sizes from 10 to 50 μm with a threshold pump power proportional to the pump size. These characteristics indicate that the mode formation is controlled by gain-induced refractive index changes within a cavity that is positively detuned from the atomic resonance. Stable, Gaussian mode formation is also achieved when directly pumping the microchip lasers with no intervening optics.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have