920-nm Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers With a Slope Efficiency of 58% at Room Temperature

We report a high-power fundamental transverse mode operation of an optically pumped 920-nm vertical-external- cavity surface-emitting laser. The effects of the gain related structural parameters on the laser performance are investigated. Based on the optimization of the gain structure and the thermal management, a maximum pump-limited output power of 12 W in a TEM
₀₀
mode with a slope efficiency of 58% (input power of 24 W) was achieved at room temperature.