Patent ID: 7643530

Claim:
A laser, comprising: a resonant cavity formed by two end mirrors, wherein the optical length of the resonant cavity is at least 25 cm; at least two separate and independent OPS-structures each OPS-structure having a gain structure with an emitting surface, each of said gain structures including a plurality of active layers having a composition selected to provide emission of a laser radiation beam at a predetermined fundamental wavelength when optical pump light is incident on said emitting surface of said gain structure, each of said gain structures surmounting a mirror structure and with said mirror structure surmounting a heat sink; and an optical arrangement for delivering pump light to an area on said emitting surface of each of said gain structures, thereby causing said cavity to deliver fundamental output laser radiation at a power greater than 5 Watts in a substantially single longitudinal mode and wherein the pump light is spatially continuous over the area on said emitting surface where the pump light is delivered.