615 nm GaInNAs VECSEL with output power above 10 W.

A high-power optically-pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) generating 10.5 W of cw output power at 615 nm is reported. The gain mirror incorporated 10 GaInNAs quantum wells and was designed to have an emission peak in the 1230 nm range. The fundamental emission was frequency doubled to the red spectral range by using an intra-cavity nonlinear LBO crystal. The maximum optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 17.5%. The VECSEL was also operated in pulsed mode by directly modulating the pump laser to produce light pulses with duration of ~1.5 µs. The maximum peak power for pulsed operation (pump limited) was 13.8 W. This corresponded to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 20.4%.