An adjustment-free laser resonator based on micron-scale corner cube array

Abstract The topic of improving the mechanical stability of external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) has recently attracted widespread attention and interest. The use of corner-cube-array (CCA)-based resonators provides a potential solution for this purpose, although continuous oscillation at super large incident angle remains challenging. In this work, we employ the CCA resonator to generate continuous oscillation within ±20° angular misalignment of cavity mirror in experiment. On the basis of retroreflection theory, the retroreflectivity of a CCA is analyzed by using optical simulation software. Notably, the experiment verifies the advantage of using a CCA over a plane mirror in laser resonator, thereby providing a promising approach for ECDLs. The threshold characteristic curves measured at different incident angles in the experiment verify that the CCA possesses an obvious anti-angle misalignment performance. This research introduces an alternative solution of using CCA resonator instead of parallel plane cavity, thereby realizing an adjustment-free ECDL with enhanced mechanical stability.