85.7 MHz repetition rate mode-locked semiconductor disk laser: fundamental and soliton bound states.

Mode-locked optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) are in strong demand for applications in bio-medical photonics, chemistry, space communications and non-linear optics. However, the wider spread of SDLs was constrained as they are operated in high repetition rates above 200 MHz due to short carrier lifetimes in the semiconductors. Here we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that it is possible to overcome the limitation of fast carrier relaxation and show significant reduction of repetition rate down to 85.7 MHz by exploiting phase-amplitude coupling effect. In addition, a low repetition rate SDL serves as a test-bed for bound soliton state previously unknown for semiconductor devices. The breakthrough to sub-100 MHz repetition rate will open a whole new window of development opportunities.

[1]  Keith G. Wilcox,et al.  Subpicosecond quantum dot saturable absorber mode-locked semiconductor disk laser , 2009 .

[2]  Alma Fernandez,et al.  Approaching the microjoule frontier with femtosecond laser oscillators: theory and comparison with experiment , 2005 .

[3]  Nils Hempler,et al.  Advances in mode-locked semiconductor disk lasers , 2013, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[4]  George Filippidis,et al.  Compact ultrafast semiconductor disk laser: targeting GFP based nonlinear applications in living organisms , 2011, Biomedical optics express.

[5]  D. Turaev,et al.  Model for passive mode locking in semiconductor lasers (13 pages) , 2005 .

[6]  Tommi Hakulinen,et al.  Harmonically mode-locked VECSELs for multi-GHz pulse train generation. , 2007, Optics express.

[7]  U Keller,et al.  Growth parameter optimization for fast quantum dot SESAMs. , 2008, Optics express.

[8]  Stephan W Koch,et al.  Passively modelocked VECSEL emitting 682 fs pulses with 5.1W of average output power , 2012 .

[9]  Wilson Sibbett,et al.  Carrier lifetimes in MBE and MOCVD InGaAs quantum wells , 1993 .

[10]  Boris A. Malomed,et al.  STABILITY OF BOUND STATES OF PULSES IN THE GINZBURG-LANDAU EQUATIONS , 1997 .

[11]  Wilson Sibbett,et al.  Ultrashort-pulse lasers passively mode locked by quantum-dot-based saturable absorbers , 2010 .

[12]  Adrian H. Quarterman,et al.  A passively mode-locked external-cavity semiconductor laser emitting 60-fs pulses , 2009 .

[13]  U. Keller,et al.  Soliton-like pulse-shaping mechanism in passively mode-locked surface-emitting semiconductor lasers , 2003, CLEO 2003.

[14]  Ping Shum,et al.  Bound soliton pulses in passively mode-locked fiber laser , 2001 .

[15]  Graeme P. A. Malcolm,et al.  SESAM‐free mode‐locked semiconductor disk laser , 2012 .

[16]  Guillaume Huyet,et al.  Refractive index dynamics of quantum dot based waveguide electroabsorbers , 2010 .

[17]  P. Grelu,et al.  Dissipative solitons for mode-locked lasers , 2012, Nature Photonics.

[18]  C. Henry.  Theory of the linewidth of semiconductor lasers , 1982 .

[19]  H. Beere,et al.  Repetition-frequency-tunable mode-locked surface emitting semiconductor laser between 2.78 and 7.87 GHz. , 2011, Optics express.

[20]  James J. Coleman,et al.  Carrier recombination rates in strained-layer InGaAs-GaAs quantum wells , 1991 .

[21]  Bound solitons in the nonlinear Schrödinger-Ginzburg-Landau equation. , 1991 .

[22]  W. Sibbett,et al.  Fast quantum-dot saturable absorber for passive mode-locking of solid-State lasers , 2004, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[23]  H. Beere,et al.  4.35 kW peak power femtosecond pulse mode-locked VECSEL for supercontinuum generation. , 2013, Optics Express.

[24]  Antti Rantamäki,et al.  200 GHz 1 W semiconductor disc laser emitting 800 fs pulses , 2012 .