Abstract
Optically pumped passively modelocked semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) provide superior performance in average output power, a broad range of operation wavelengths, and reduced complexity. Here, we present record performance with high average power and pulse durations as short as 100 fs with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) modelocked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) at a center wavelength of 1034 nm. A comprehensive pulse characterization confirms fundamental modelocking with a close to transform-limited output pulse of 128 fs and with negatively chirped output pulses as short as 107 fs, which are externally compressed to 96 fs with a single path through a 2-mm-thick ZnSe plate. For the “96 fs result” the pulse repetition rate is 1.6 GHz, the average output power is 100 mW, and the pulse peak power is 560 W. The transform-limited optical spectrum could in principle support pulses as short as 65 fs with higher order dispersion compensation. We measured the most relevant spectral and nonlinear VECSEL and SESAM parameters and used them as input parameters for our pulse formation simulations. These simulations agree well with our experimental results and provide an outlook for further performance scaling of ultrafast SDL technology.
Highlights
Passive modelocking of optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) [1] using semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) [2] has demonstrated impressive progress during the past 10 years, as reviewed recently [3]
We have presented a significant improvement of SESAM modelocked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) with both shorter pulse durations and higher average power with 96 fs pulses and 560 W pulse peak power
We performed a detailed characterization of both the VECSEL and the SESAM parameters, which were used as input parameters in our simulations (Table 1)
Summary
Passive modelocking of optically pumped semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) [1] using semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs) [2] has demonstrated impressive progress during the past 10 years, as reviewed recently [3]. Peak power scaling by reducing the pulse repetition rate has been successfully demonstrated with diode-pumped solid-state lasers [16]. The limited upper-state lifetime of semiconductor lasers makes them ideally suited for gigahertz pulse repetition rates and the high gain cross-section eliminates Q-switching instabilities, typically a challenge with SESAM-modelocked diode-pumped ion-doped solid-state lasers [29,30]. We present our “96 fs result” with a pulse duration of 96 fs, a pulse repetition rate of 1.6 GHz, an average power of 100 mW, and, a pulse peak power of 560 W These are, to the best of our knowledge, the shortest pulses of a fundamental modelocked SDL. This allows us to give an outlook for further performance scaling at the end of this paper
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