2.6 μm optically pumped vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser in the CdHgTe system

We present results of a midinfrared vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser operating at 2.63 μm made of CdHgTe alloys. The resonator is constituted of two dielectric YF3/ZnS mirrors deposited after growth and after removal of the substrate. The top mirror reflectivity is increased step by step by deposition of an additional stack period allowing us to study the effect of mirror loss on lasing properties. With a reflectivity of 98.1% lasing is observed up to 190 K. The pulsed threshold power is 1.7 kW/cm2 at 80 K. The characteristic temperature is T0=113 K.