Improved external cavity design for cesium D1 (894 nm) diode laser

We have developed an external cavity diode laser for use near the cesium D1 transition at 894 nm, producing over 20 mW of single-mode power with a con tinuous tuning range of up to 25 GHz. Our mechanical design allows simple a lignment and optimization of the cavity with very good passive stability, a s temperature control of the diode is not coupled with changes in cavity le ngth, and it could easily be used with diodes at other wavelengths. We deta il the design and construction, and review the performance of the current s ystem, which has been in operation for several years. (C) 2000 American Ins titute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)00212-4].