At present, there are no reliable compact laser sources available operating at shorter wavelengths than red. Blue and green lasers using II-VI materials have been demonstrated but only last a few hours at best. The purpose of Phase II will be 1) to achieve CW, room temperature operation of blue/green vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, and 2) to maximize the performance. The method to be used is an intercavity frequency doubling technique using AlGaAs as the nonlinear medium.
