Patent ID: 6888874

Claim:
A surface emitting laser diode system, comprising: first and second reflective gratings at either end of the laser, wherein the first and second reflective gratings each have a unique reflective spectrum covering a broad band of light wavelengths; an outcoupling region between the first and second reflective gratings, wherein the outcoupling region has a grating that couples a light beam out of the laser, and wherein the outcoupling grating has a unique reflective spectrum covering a wide band of light wavelengths, wherein the reflective spectrum of the outcoupling grating is narrower than the reflective spectra of the first and second reflective gratings; a first laser cavity between the first and second reflective gratings; a second laser cavity between the first reflective grating and the outcoupling grating, wherein the second laser cavity is shorter than the first laser cavity; a third laser cavity between the second reflective grating and the outcoupling grating, wherein the third laser cavity is shorter than the second laser cavity; and a fourth laser cavity within the outcoupling region, wherein the fourth laser cavity is shorter than the third laser cavity; wherein each laser cavity allows a unique set of lasing wavelengths to reach resonance, wherein the lasing wavelengths that reach resonance in each cavity are determined by the length of that cavity; wherein only one lasing wavelength is resonant in all four cavities, and wherein said single wavelength is the only wavelength in the beam outcoupled from the laser.