An optically pumped vertically emitting semiconductor laser having a highly reflective reflector layer (10), and a radiation-emitting active layer sequence (14) arranged on the reflector layer, in which, during operation, the reflector layer (10), together with an external mirror (20), forms a laser resonator. A heat sink (12), transparent to the emitted radiations is arranged within the laser resonator (10, 20) and in thermal contact with the active layer sequence (14), said heat sink being formed from a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the materials of the active layer sequence (14).