Femtosecond semiconductor laser system with arbitrary intracavity phase and amplitude manipulation

In this work we present a laser cavity with a spatial light modulator (SLM), which allows for arbitrary phase and amplitude manipulation. In comparison to previous setups, it allows the manipulation of spectral components inside the laser cavity without the introduction of spatial chirp. An electrically driven ultrafast semiconductor laser system is used for proper alignment of the laser cavity. We were able to demonstrate that the gain of the laser supports mode-locking operation over a spectral range greater than 12 nm with a central wavelength of 850 nm. This bandwidth has the potential to generate sub 150 fs pulses.