Optical-pumping injection cavity (OPIC) mid-IR "W" lasers with high efficiency and low loss

We report an edge-emitting mid-infrared (IR) (/spl lambda/=3.3-3.7 μm) "W" laser incorporating an optical-pumping injection cavity (OPIC). The active region of the W-OPIC is sandwiched between two Bragg mirrors that significantly enhance the pump-beam absorptance at /spl lambda//sub pump/=2.098 μm. Pulsed experiments demonstrate that besides suppressing the threshold pump intensity, this design enhances the differential power conversion efficiency (e.g., 7.1% per uncoated facet at 220 K) and lowers the internal loss (e.g., 20 cm/sup -1/ at 240 K) compared with all previous optically pumped mid-IR lasers.