Optically In-Well-Pumped Semiconductor Disk Laser With Low Quantum Defect

An in-well pumped InGaAs disk laser emitting at 984 nm is presented. The device is designed to eliminate major loss mechanisms attributed to heat generation in semiconductor disk lasers. An output power of close to 7W at room temperature is achieved by optical excitation with a fiber-coupled 940 nm diode laser. Strong cooling or the use of heat spreaders with high thermal conductivity is not necessary. For the investigated pump levels, absorptance values of 48% are realized without pump recycling. The optical output shows no indication of thermal rollover at room temperature, but is limited by the currently available pump power.