Picosecond to sub-picosecond pulse generation from mode-locked VECSELs at 1.55 µm

S. Bouchoule; Z. Zhao; A. Khadour; E. Galopin; J.-C. Harmand; J. Song; G. Aubin; J. Decobert; J.-L. Oudar

doi:10.1117/12.905977

14 February 2012 Picosecond to sub-picosecond pulse generation from mode-locked VECSELs at 1.55 μm

S. Bouchoule, Z. Zhao, A. Khadour, E. Galopin, J.-C. Harmand, J. Song, G. Aubin, J. Decobert, J.-L. Oudar

Proceedings Volume 8242, Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSELs) II; 824203 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.905977
Event: SPIE LASE, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Mode-locked vertical-extended-cavity-surface emitting lasers (ML-VECSEL) are promising candidates for the generation of stable short pulses at multi-GHz rate. However, the poor thermal behavior of quaternary InP-based semiconductor compounds often limits the performance of ML-VECSELs operating at 1.55 μm. In this work, we report on a specific approach using downward heat sinking to optimize the heat dissipation out of the active region. VECSEL chips with a low thermal resistance are fabricated using a hybrid metal-metamorphic GaAs/AlAs mirror and bonding to a highly thermally conductive host substrate. We show that superior performance can be obtained with a CVD diamond substrate, while electroplated copper host substrate can afford a flexible and low cost alternate approach for moderate (~100 mW) output power. The VECSEL chip assembled with a 1.55μm fast InGaAs(Sb)N/GaAsN semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) produces nearly Fourier transform-limited mode-locked pulses at ~ 2 GHz repetition frequency, and the RF linewidth of the free running laser is measured to be less than 1000 Hz. When the resonance and group delay dispersion of the SESAM microcavity are tuned by selective etching of specific top phase layers, the modelocked pulse width is reduced from several picoseconds to less than 1 ps.

Citation Download Citation

S. Bouchoule, Z. Zhao, A. Khadour, E. Galopin, J.-C. Harmand, J. Song, G. Aubin, J. Decobert, and J.-L. Oudar "Picosecond to sub-picosecond pulse generation from mode-locked VECSELs at 1.55 μm", Proc. SPIE 8242, Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSELs) II, 824203 (14 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.905977

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available