Comprehensive modeling of vertical external cavity surface emitting laser with resonant periodic gain

One of the promising laser constructions having much attention in the past years is thin-disc semiconductor lasers with the resonant periodic gain in a form of multiple quantum wells. The 3D numerical model is developed based on combining bi-directional beam propagation method with the round-trip operator technique. The standing wave effect in resonant gain structure and diffraction in the external laser cavity are taken into account explicitly. Characteristics of optical modes are found numerically for cylindrical vertical extended cavity surface emitting laser with above-threshold pumping. Variation of distance to the external mirror is found to result in notable changes in power and optical quality of the output beam. The decisive role of gain and index non-linearities in these changes is identified.