We report high power operation of a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) operating around 1180 nm. The gain chip of the VECSEL comprises 10 strain-compensated GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells in a top-emitting configuration. A maximum output power of 23 W was achieved with a mount temperature of about 0 ‡C, and 20.5 W with the mount temperature of about 12 °C. By introducing a birefringent filter inside the laser cavity we demonstrate a tuning range of 67 nm. The gain chip was also used to construct a VECSEL for single-frequency operation. In this configuration, a maximum output power of about 11 W was recorded.

Optically pumped semiconductor lasers in conjunction with intra-cavity frequency conversion and tuning elements offer high continuous-wave power, narrow linewidth, and broad tunability. As a result, they are well suited to precision spectroscopic applications. We describe the development and testing of optically pumped semiconductor lasers operating at fundamental wavelengths of 1119 and 1178 nm. The fourth and second harmonic wavelengths are resonant with transitions in Mg II and Na I, respectively. We demonstrate continuously tunable, single-frequency lasers with watt-level average power at 1119, 1178, and 589 nm.