Novel design for diode-pumped miniature lasers using microstructured silicon carriers

Abstract

A new design concept for compact diode-pumped solid-state lasers is presented. The design is based on a microstructured silicon carrier with etched v-grooves. This silicon microbench provides efficient thermal management at 10W pumping level, as well as compact integration and alignment of all active and passive optical components of compact diode-pumped solid-state lasers. In initial experiments, a Nd:YAG laser built on the microbench delivered a continuous-wave output of 3W.