A slider includes a slot waveguide configured to receive energy from an input surface. The slot waveguide has first and second high-index regions surrounding a middle region that extends along a light propagation direction. The middle region has a refractive index less than that of the first and second high index regions. A near-field transducer is at an output portion of the middle region at media-facing surface. The near-field transducer has first and second plates parallel to the media-facing surface with a gap therebetween. An active laser region has a front facet optically coupled to the input surface of the slider. A reflective back facet of the laser and the near-field transducer define a single optical resonator.

The invention describes a laser device (100) enabling controlled emission of individual laser beams (194). The laser device (100) comprises an optically pumped extended cavity laser with one gain element whereby a multitude of pump lasers (110) are provided in order to generate independent pump beams (191) and thus corresponding laser beams (194). The laser device (100) may be used to enable simplified or improved laser systems (500) as, for example, two or three-dimensional laser printers. The pump laser (110) may be VCSEL and the laser (160) may be a VECSEL monolithically integrated with the pump VCSEL array on the same substrate. Pump mirrors (140) and external cavity mirror (150) may be integrated into a single optical reflector with regions having different curvature. The laser emission is controlled by the pump light, i.e. transversal shape of the laser beam and/or number of laser beams is controlled by switching on/off the individual pump lasers (110).

This disclosure relates to pumping light systems and methods for using a disc laser. A focusing device with a reflecting surface focuses a pumping light beam onto a laser-active medium. A deflecting system deflects the pumping light beam between reflecting regions formed on the reflecting surface that are arranged in different angle regions around a central axis of the reflecting surface in at least a first annular region and a second annular region. The deflecting systems are configured to perform at least one deflection of the pumping light beam between two reflecting regions of the first annular region and at least one deflection between two reflecting regions of the second annular region.

A CO.sub.2 laser that generates laser-radiation in just one emission band of a CO.sub.2 gas-mixture has resonator mirrors that form an unstable resonator and at least one spectrally-selective element located on the optical axis of the resonator. The spectrally-selective element may be in the form of one or more protruding or recessed surfaces. Spectral-selectivity is enhanced by forming a stable resonator along the optical axis that includes the spectrally-selective element. The CO.sub.2 laser is tunable between emission bands by translating the spectrally-selective element along the optical axis.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) includes a substrate having an aperture that allows light generated in an active layer of the VCSEL to exit the VCSEL after propagation through a first set of semiconductor layers. The VCSEL further includes an opaque bottom layer that blocks light generated in the active layer and propagated through a second set of semiconductor layers. The opaque bottom layer can be attached to a heat sink for heat dissipation thereby allowing the VCSEL to be operated at high power levels. The active layer is sandwiched between the first set of semiconductor layers and the second set of semiconductor layers. Unlike a traditional VCSEL where only certain wavelengths of light can propagate through a solid substrate that is transparent to these particular wavelengths, the aperture provided in the substrate of a VCSEL in accordance with the disclosure allows for propagation of many different wavelengths.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) includes a substrate having an aperture that allows light generated in an active layer of the VCSEL to exit the VCSEL after propagation through a first set of semiconductor layers. The VCSEL further includes an opaque bottom layer that blocks light generated in the active layer and propagated through a second set of semiconductor layers. The opaque bottom layer can be attached to a heat sink for heat dissipation thereby allowing the VCSEL to be operated at high power levels. The active layer is sandwiched between the first set of semiconductor layers and the second set of semiconductor layers. Unlike a traditional VCSEL where only certain wavelengths of light can propagate through a solid substrate that is transparent to these particular wavelengths, the aperture provided in the substrate of a VCSEL in accordance with the disclosure allows for propagation of many different wavelengths.

An optical assembly reduces a spectral bandwidth of an output beam of a laser. The assembly includes a beam-expanding optical unit within a laser resonator. The latter serves to increase a beam cross section of a resonator-internal laser beam in at least one expansion cross-sectional dimension such that at least one resonator-internal expansion laser beam section arises. The assembly also includes an optical grating in a retroreflective arrangement for the resonator-internal laser beam. A beam-limiting stop acts in the expansion cross-sectional dimension and is arranged in the beam path of the expansion laser beam section. This yields an optical assembly in which unwanted thermal effects on account of optical components of the optical assembly heating during laser operation due to a local power density of the resonator-internal laser beam are reduced or avoided.

An amplified laser device is provided with one or more Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) having tip, tilt and piston capability positioned on either side of the optical amplifier to correct the profile of the beam to improve the gain performance of the optical amplifier or to compensate for atmospheric distortion while steering the amplified beam over a FOR. The MEMS MMAs may be positioned in front of, behind or on both sides of the amplifier. The MEMS MMAs can be configured to optimize the combined amplifier performance, static and time varying, and compensation for atmospheric distortion together or separately.