Patent ID: 7039075

Claim:
A laser device, comprising: a vertical cavity, surface emitting laser (VCSEL) section comprising a Bragg reflector, a first gain region and an intracavity reflector formed over a substrate, said VCSEL section having small gain per pass through the first gain region and forming a first resonant cavity between the Bragg reflector and the intracavity reflector, an extended cavity section comprising an optical fiber of predetermined length, and having first and second ends, the first end of the optical fiber being optically coupled to the first gain region, wherein said extended cavity section exhibits optical losses comparable to or larger in magnitude to said small gain per pass through said first active region, an output coupler/reflector optically coupled to the second end of the extended cavity section, forming a second resonant cavity between the Bragg reflector and the output coupler/reflector; said intracavity reflector resulting in insufficient effective reflective magnitude, R eff , to provide an effective reflectivity sufficient to initiate lasing operation of said small gain per pass VCSEL section without the inclusion of said output coupler/reflector in said second cavity; said intracavity reflector resulting in sufficient effective reflective magnitude, R eff , in the presence of both said intracavity reflector and said output coupler/reflector to provide sufficient effective reflectivity, r eff , to overcome said optical losses and bring about lasing within both said first and second resonant cavities through the utility of said first gain region; said intracavity reflector further being chosen, in combination with said optical fiber predetermined length, such that single longitudinal mode operation is achieved in said first and second resonant cavities; and the effective reflective magnitude, R eff , of the intracavity reflector approximates the value of R eff =  r eff  2 =  r 2 + r 3 1 + r 2 ⁢ r 3  2 where r eff is the effective reflectivity amplitude of said intracavity reflectivity or said output coupler/reflector and R eff is the effective reflective magnitude of said intracavity reflectivity or said output coupler/reflector and r 2 and r 2 are respectively the reflective amplitude of said intracavity reflector and the output coupler/reflector.