Abstract

Mode-locked semiconductor lasers are important sources for many applications because (1) they are compact, which is important for use as sources for commercial electrooptic samplers; (2) they operate at the important wavelengths of 0.82, 1.3, and 1.55 μm rather than visible wavelengths and are thus suitable for ultrafast experiments on semiconductor materials; (3) they are tunable, so excitation at various wavelengths above and below the band gap can be made; (4) they have very tow amplitude and phase noise, particularly when compared to compressed YAG laser pulses; and (5) several subpicosecond sources can be synchronized together by driving several actively mode- locked lasers off the same microwave oscillator.

© 1988 Optical Society of America