Abstract
The development of tunable single-frequency laser sources is important for several fast-growing fields such as metrology, optical sensors, spectroscopy, optical telecommunication and medicine. In this thesis we discuss the limitations of current technology, and then we show how to overcome them through the design and the physical study of highly coherent semiconductor lasers emitting in the infrared. We focus more particularly in VECSEL technology in order to obtain tunable and robust single-frequency operation. We discuss the design and characterization of these lasers, from the optimization of the gain medium to the development of functional laser devices. We then perform a deep physical study of the laser source. The various topics presented here deal with many aspects of optoelectronics such as solid state physics, traditional and quantum optics, materials technology, heat management, ect. The work presented here open the way for numerous developments related to VECSEL and their applications.