Butt-coupled single transverse mode diode pumped laser

摘要

A solid state laser is optically pumped by a semiconductive diode. The output facet of the pumping diode is butt-coupled to the input facet of the laser gain medium. The laser gain medium has a short absorption length (<500 um) for the optical pumping radiation such that the pumped mode volume is so small as to support only a single transverse mode of oscillation, i.e., TEM00 mode operation. In one embodiment a reflector of the laser cavity is formed on the output facet of the pumping diode. In another embodiment the input facet of the laser gain material is bonded to the output facet of the diode pump by means of an index-matching optical cement. The resultant diode pumped laser offers improved frequency stability and reduced size.