Passive mode locking of monolithic semiconductor ring lasers

In conclusion, we have demonstrated the first passively mode-locked GaAs-AlGaAs monolithic semiconductor ring lasers. These devices with a 150-/spl mu/m-radius ring cavity emit a continuous train of transform-limited 1.3 ps lasing pulses at a frequency of 86 GHz. The output power of these devices is up to 10 mW/pulse at the laser output facet. In the future, we expect that this power level can be increased to 1100 mW/pulse by the addition of a waveguide amplifier.<<ETX>>