Patent attributes
A vertically emitting semiconductor laser with an external resonator, a semiconductor body (1) in which a quantum well structure (4) is located as active zone that includes quantum wells (6) and barrier layers (5) situated therebetween, and at least one pumping radiation source (9) for irradiating into the active zone at an incidence angle αp pumping radiation (10) of wavelength λp. The wavelength λp and the incidence angle αp of the pumping radiation are selected in such a way that the absorption of the pumping radiation takes place substantially inside the quantum wells. This avoids the losses during the capture of charge carriers from the barrier layers into the quantum wells that occur in the case of optically pumped semiconductor lasers where the pumping radiation is absorbed in the barrier layers. Also specified are advantageous refinements of the semiconductor body and combinations for incidence angle and wavelength of the pumping radiation source that permit a particularly effective optical pumping process of the quantum wells.
