Abstract
Ultrafast semiconductor disk lasers (SDLs) passively modelocked using semiconductor saturable absorbers mirrors (SESAMs) generate optical frequency combs (OFCs) with gigahertz line spacings - a regime where solid-state and fiber lasers struggle with geometrical and Q-switching limitations. We stabilized both the frequency comb spacing and the offset without any additional external optical amplification or pulse compression. The overall noise performance is competitive with other gigahertz OFCs. A SESAM-modelocked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) at a center wavelength around 1 µm generates 122-fs pulses with 160 mW average output power and we only needed 17-pJ pulse energy coupled into a silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide for supercontinuum generation (SCG) and OFC offset stabilization.
Highlights
Pumped SDLs have demonstrated significant progress during the past decade [1,2], both for continuous wave [3] and modelocked [4,5] operation
A semiconductor saturable absorbers mirrors (SESAMs)-modelocked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) at a center wavelength around 1 μm generates 122-fs pulses with 160 mW average output power and we only needed 17-pJ pulse energy coupled into a silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide for supercontinuum generation (SCG) and optical frequency combs (OFCs) offset stabilization
It is interesting to compare with the fCEO of a 1-GHz diode pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) based on Yb:CALGO [29], which was detected using a previous generation of Si3N4 waveguides and showed a linewidth of 170 kHz
Summary
Pumped SDLs have demonstrated significant progress during the past decade [1,2], both for continuous wave [3] and modelocked [4,5] operation. We present for the first time a fully stabilized, self-referenced SDL comb with excellent noise properties which does not require additional external pulse amplification or pulse compression This result became possible with two major advances: the development of an ultrafast SDL approaching the kilowatt peak power regime with near 100-fs pulse duration [4] and a Si3N4 waveguide [25,26,27] with a novel design that supports coherent octavespanning SCG with much lower pulse energy and comparatively long pulse durations. It is interesting to compare with the fCEO of a 1-GHz diode pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) based on Yb:CALGO [29], which was detected using a previous generation of Si3N4 waveguides and showed a linewidth of 170 kHz. The Yb:CALGO laser material exhibits a comparatively long carrier lifetime of 420 μs [30], which acts like a low-pass filter for pump power fluctuations.
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