High-temperature continuous-wave 3-6.1 μm "W'' lasers with diamond-pressure-bond heat sinking

Optically pumped type-II W lasers emitting in the mid-infrared exhibited continuous-wave (cw) operating temperatures of 290 K at lambda = 3.0 mu m and 210 K at lambda = 6.1 mu m. Maximum cw output powers for 78 K were 260 mW at lambda = 3.1 mu m and nearly 50 mW at lambda = 5.4 mu m. These high maximum temperatures were achieved through the use of a diamond-pressure-bonding technique for heat sinking the semiconductor lasers. The thermal bond, which is accomplished through pressure alone, permits topside optical pumping through the diamond at wavelengths that would be absorbed by the substrate. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01608-3].