Recent developments in semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) generating visible or ultraviolet light are reviewed. After an introduction on potential applications, we discuss how the combination of vertical‐emitting semiconductor GaAs‐based structures and intra‐cavity nonlinear conversion techniques can be successfully exploited to uniquely meet demands for continuous‐wave radiation in the visible and ultraviolet spectral range. To do so, an overview of the device operating principles and performance is presented highlighting the underlying material considerations, semiconductor structural designs, thermal management techniques and suitable cavity configurations. This summary is completed by a presentation of new developments in the field, with a particular focus on the trends towards miniaturization.

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A high-efficiency optically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser emitting 20 W at a wavelength around 588 nm is demonstrated. The semiconductor gain chip emitted at a fundamental wavelength around 1170-1180 nm and the laser employed a V-shaped cavity. The yellow spectral range was achieved by intra-cavity frequency doubling using a LBO crystal. The laser could be tuned over a bandwidth of ~26 nm while exhibiting watt-level output powers. The maximum conversion efficiency from absorbed pump power to yellow output was 28% for continuous wave operation. The VECSEL’s output could be modulated to generate optical pulses with duration down to 570 ns by directly modulating the pump laser. The high-power pulse operation is a key feature for astrophysics and medical applications while at the same time enables higher slope efficiency than continuous wave operation owing to decreased heating.

We report on, to the best of our knowledge, the first sub-100 fs mode-locked ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}$-laser in the 2 μm spectral range employing a disordered co-doped $\mathrm{Tm},\mathrm{Ho}\text{:}{\mathrm{CaYAlO}}_4$ (Tm,Ho:CALYO) crystal as a gain medium. Pulses as short as 87 fs are produced with an average output power of 27 mW at 80.45 MHz repetition rate. An output power of 96 mW is reached for a pulse duration of 98 fs.

GaSb-based SESAM is successfully employed for passive mode locking of a Tm³⁺:CaGdAlO₄ laser operating near 2 µm. The pulse duration is around 650 fs at a repetition rate ~100 MHz.