Highly efficient green VECSEL with intra-cavity diamond heat spreader.

The effect of the birefringence of an intracavity diamond heat spreader on the lasing performance of a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser is investigated. The birefringence in the intra-cavity diamond caused considerable additional round-trip loss when a birefringent filter was inserted into the cavity. The effect of the birefringence of intra-cavity diamond can be reduced by rotation of the sample. By aligning the axes of the diamond birefringence and those of the Brewster surfaces, a pump-power limited green output power of 5.2 W was achieved – a pump to green conversion efficiency of 24%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]