8.4: Summary

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 44672

Franz X. Kaertner
Massachusetts Institute of Technology via MIT OpenCourseWare

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Real absorbers do have the advantage of providing direct amplitude modula- tion and do not exploit additional cavities or operation of the resonator close to its stability boundary to achieve effective phase to amplitude conversion. Especially in compact resonator designs, as necessary for high-repitition rate lasers in the GHz range, semiconductor saturable absorbers with their low saturation energies and compactness offer unique solutions to this important technological challenge.

Bibliography

[1] M. N. Islam, E. R. Sunderman, C. E. Soccolich, I. Bar-Joseph, N. Sauer, T. Y. Chang, and B. I. Miller: "Color Center Lasers Passively Mode Locked by Quantum Wells," IEEE J. Quantum Electronics. 25, 2454- 2463 (1989).

[2] S. Tsuda, W. H. Knox, E. A. de Souza, W. Y. Jan, and J. E. Cunning- ham, "Mode-Locking Ultrafast Solid-State Lasers with Saturable-Bragg Reflectors," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electronics 2, 454-464 (1996).

[3] U. Keller, ”Semiconductor nonlinearities for solid-state laser modelock- ing and Q-switching,” in Semiconductors and Semimetals, Vol. 59A, edited by A. Kost and E. Garmire, Academic Press, Boston 1999.

[4] J. Shah, "Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Semiconductors and Semiconductor Nanostructures," Series in Solid-State Sciencies 115, Springer Verlag, Berlin (1996).\

[5] E. O. Goebel, "Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Semiconductors," in Advances in Solid State Physics 30, pp. 269 — 294 (1990).

[6] W. H. Knox, R. L. Fork, M. C. Downer, D. A. B. Miller, D. S. Chemla and C. V. Shank, "Femtosecond Excitation of Nonthermal Carrier Pop- ulations in GaAs Quantum Wells," Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, pp. 1306 — 1309 (1985).

[7] J. L. Oudar, D. Hulin, A. Migus, A. Antonetti, F. Alexandre, "Subpi- cosecond Spectral Hole Burning Due to Nonthermalized Photoexcited Carriers in GaAs," Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, pp. 2074 — 2076 (1985).

[8] W. H. Knox, C. Hirlimann, D. A. B. Miller, J. Shah, D. S. Chemla and C. V. Shank, "Femtosecond Dynamics of Resonantly Excited Excitons in Room-Temperature GaAs Quantum Wells," Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 1191 — 1193 (1986).

[9] G. L. Witt, R. Calawa, U. Mishra, E. Weber, Eds., "Low Temperature

(LT) GaAs and Related Materials," 241, Pittsburgh, (1992).

[10] R. Fluck, I. D. Jung, G. Zhang, F. X. Kärtner, and U. Keller, “Broad- band saturable absorber for 10 fs pulse generation,” Opt. Lett. 21, 743- 745 (1996).

[11] I. D. Jung, F. X. Kärtner, N. Matuschek, D. H. Sutter, F. Morier- Genoud, Z. Shi, V. Scheuer, M. Tilsch, T. Tschudi, U. Keller, ”Semicon- ductor saturable absorber mirrors supporting sub-10 fs pulses,” Appl. Phys. B 65, pp. 137-150 (1997).

[12] E. R. Thoen, E. M. Koontz, M. Joschko, P. Langlois, T. R. Schibli, F. X. Kärtner, E. P. Ippen, and L. A. Kolodziejski, “Two-photon absorption in semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 3927- 3929, (1999).

[13] P. Langlois, M. Joschko, E. R. Thoen, E. M. Koontz, F. X. Kärtner, E. P. Ippen, and L. A. Kolodziejski, “High fluence ultrafast dynamics of semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 3841- 3483, (1999).

[14] T. R. Schibli, E. R. Thoen, F. X. Kaertner, E. P. Ippen, "Suppression of Q-switched mode-locking and break-up into multiple pulses by inverse saturable absorption," App. Phys. B 70, 41-49 (2000).

[15] J. Aus der Au, D. Kopf, F. Morier-Genoud, M. Moser and U. Keller, "60- fs pulses from a diode-pumped Nd:glass laser," Opt. Lett. 22, 207-309 (1997).

[16] F.X. Kärtner, J. A. d. Au, U. Keller, "Mode-Locking with Slow and Fast Saturable Absorbers-What’s the Difference,". Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 4, 159 (1998).

[17] B. C. Collings, K. Bergman, W. H. Knox, "Truely fundamental solitons in a passively mode-locked short cavity Cr4+:YAG laser.," Opt. Lett., 22,1098-1100 (1997).