In AlGaInP based VECSELs, a low thermal conductivity of the substrate with included distributed Bragg reflector leads to a strong temperature-dependent performance due to the limited charge-carrier confinement. For efficient heat removal, a good bonding between VECSEL-chip and intra-cavity heat spreader is indispensable. Here, a new designed sample holding device which allows improved bonding is presented. With this device, the laser performance of a barrier-pumped AlGaInP VECSEL emitting at 665 nm could be improved tremendously which resulted in an output power of more than 1W at a heatsink temperature of 10°C. We present a full characterization of the laser system including a comparison between standard and the new device.