Deep- to near-ultraviolet surface-emitting semiconductor laser sources for biomedicine

垂直外腔表面发射激光器(VECSEL)作为一种强大的、高性能的固体激光器，由于利用了半导体增益区而获得了越来越多的认可。其中的主要原因是，它们的发射波长可以在特定材料系统的限制内进行设计，以实现高功率、可调谐的激光输出，这可能是为广泛的应用而定制的。这一优势将对科学和技术上重要的紫外线波长区域的激动人心的应用产生深远影响，在那里，任何类型的合适激光源都很稀缺。我们首次提出，通过利用非线性频率转换和新兴的红色VECSEL技术，将VECSEL的波长覆盖范围扩展到近紫外光和深紫外光。这样的装置提供了至少几十毫瓦的连续波，在深至近紫外区可调的输出功率。这项研究开发的资源将应用于原子光谱学和紫外共振拉曼光谱，用于复杂生物系统的分子分析。

Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs) are gaining increasing recognition as powerful, high-performance solid-state lasers possessing benefits which arise from utilising a semiconductor gain region. Principal among these is that their emission wavelength can be engineered within the constraints of a particular material system to achieve high power, tuneable laser output, which may be customised for a wide range of applications. This advantage would have a profound effect on exciting applications in the scientifically and technologically important ultraviolet wavelength region where suitable laser sources of any description are scarce. We propose, for the first time, to extend the wavelength coverage of VECSELs to the near and deep-ultraviolet, by utilising non-linear frequency conversion in conjunction with emerging red VECSEL technology. Such devices offer the possibility of at least tens of milliWatts of continuous wave, tuneable output power in the deep to near-ultraviolet region. Sources developed within this research will be applied in atom spectroscopy and ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy for molecular analysis of complex biological systems.