Abstract: A microlaser comprises a solid state gain medium, such as YLF or YAG, positioned end to end with a mode selector etalon formed by a fused silica flat, the end of which is adjacent to a planar end of the gain medium is coated with a thin film of nichrome and the other end of which is coated with a multilayer-dielectric partially-transmissive reflector. The other end of the gain medium is curved and coated to be reflective of the laser light and transmissive of the pump light which enters through such end. The thin nichrome film is designed to absorb unwanted modes which have an electric field component at such film while a wanted mode has a null at such film in their standing wave patterns. By substituting birefringent crystalline quartz for the fused-silica, there may be derived emission at two longitudinal modes whose polarization vectors are orthogonal and whose wavelengths are slightly different.