377 fs Pulse Generation from a Passively Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser

Abstract

We report the first sub-picosecond pulses using a multiple quantum well (MQW) saturable absorber in a mode-locked erbium doped fiber laser. The all-fiber bidirectional ring laser configuration includes a one percent output coupler, a polarization controller and a 1.23 meter erbium-doped fiber pumped by a 1480 nm laser diode. As a fast saturable absorber, we used a strained InGaAs/GaAs-on-GaAs MQW stack similar to that in Ref. 1, but with an indium content of 68%.