Passively Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Lasers Using Multiple Quantum Well Saturable Absorbers

Abstract

Abstract : An experimental study of the mode-locking process in erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFL's) operating at 1.55 microns using multiple quantum well saturable absorbers is presented. The self-starting passively mode-locked laser was constructed in a Fabry-Perot configuration using the saturable absorber as the back reflector of the cavity. Picosecond pulses that range from 14.2 to 38.8 ps were generated using a series of saturable absorbers. The pulse widths were dependent upon the optical properties of the saturable absorber used as the mode-locking element. The output power of the EDFL varied from 0.2 to 6.7 mW and was also dependent upon the saturable absorber used in the cavity. Soliton mode-locking using saturable absorbers was the mechanism responsible for the generation of the picosecond pulses by the EDFL. The long-lived carrier lifetime in the quantum wells was the primary optical property of the saturable shorter that determined the final pulse width.