A laser system includes first and second mirrors, a semiconductor laser and a high frequency pulse generator. The semiconductor laser generates optical power within an optical cavity and reflects the optical power between the first mirror and second mirrors. The optical power has a frequency of f.sub.original-laser. The high frequency pulse generator generates a high frequency pulse with a rise time greater than an optical cycle of the optical power within the optical cavity and directly impinges the high frequency pulse on the optical power within the optical cavity. Impinging the high frequency pulse on the optical power within the optical cavity causes a frequency shift of the optical power to generate a final laser frequency that is greater than f.sub.original-laser as well as beyond a frequency band of the second mirror to cause a final laser to be emitted past the second mirror and from the semiconductor laser.

A dual wavelength pumping system and method have been developed to improve the efficiency of laser systems operating in the raid infrared region has been developed, in a conventional system the ions are excited from a ground state to an upper lasing state using a light pump. They then undergo a laser transition to leave the ion in a long lived post lasing excited state from which it eventually decays back to the ground state. In contrast they present system uses a first light pump to pump ions from the ground state to the post lasing state, and a second light pump to pump ions from the post lasing state to the upper lasing state. This system thus exploits the long lifetime of the post lasing state to enable it to become a virtual ground state for the second laser allowing continued cycling of ions between the upper lasing state and the post lasing state. A system using an Erbium, doped fiber generated a 3.5 m laser output with an average power of over 250 mW and an initial slope, efficiency of 25.4% (previous system have only generates less than 10 mW of power with efficiencies of 3%).

An optical device of one embodiment outputs light in a short-wavelength range such as a visible range. The optical device includes a UC layer, first and second light-confinement layers, and a resonance mode forming layer. The UC layer contains an upconversion material receiving excitation light in a first wavelength range and outputting light in a second wavelength range. The first light-confinement layer has a characteristic of reflecting part of the second wavelength-range light. The second light-confinement layer has a characteristic of reflecting part of the second wavelength-range light and transmitting the remainder, and is disposed such that the UC layer locates between the first and second light-confinement layers. The resonance mode forming layer locates between the UC layer and the first or second light-confinement layer, includes a base layer and plural modified refractive index regions, and forms a resonance mode of the second wavelength-range light.