Double-chirped semiconductor mirror for dispersion compensation in femtosecond lasers

Paschotta, Rüdiger; Spühler, G.J.; Sutter, Dirk; Matuschek, N.; Keller, U.; Moser, M.; Hövel, R.; Scheuer, V.; Angelow, G.; Tschudi, Τ.

doi:10.1063/1.124953

Cited by 21 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…For example, we have demonstrated with many examples that non-quarterwave layers in mirrors give more design freedom for integrating the absorber layers into the mirror structure. Furthermore, saturable absorbers combined with negative dispersion compensation can be obtained with GTI-type (Gires-Tournois Interferometer) SESAMs [28] or double-chirped semiconductor mirror structures that can provide very broadband negative dispersion [30]. In addition, low field enhancement (LFR) SESAM designs [31, ?…”

Section: S E S a MD E S I G N Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical characterization of semiconductor saturable absorbers

2004

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Semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) devices have become a key component of ultrafast passive mode-locked laser sources. Here we describe in more detail how the key SESAM parameters such as saturation fluence, modulation depth, and nonsaturable losses are measured with a high accuracy. These parameters need to be known and controlled to obtain stable pulse generation for a given laser. A highprecision, wide dynamic range setup is required to measure this nonlinear reflectivity of saturable absorbers. The challenge to measure a low modulation depth and key measures necessary to obtain an accurate calibration are described in detail. The model function for the nonlinear reflectivity is based on a simple twolevel travelling wave system. We include spatial beam profiles, nonsaturable losses and higher-order absorption, such as twophoton absorption and other induced absorption. Guidelines to extract the key parameters from the measured data are given.PACS 07.60.Hv; 42.65.Re; 42.70.Nq

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Section: S E S a MD E S I G N Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical characterization of semiconductor saturable absorbers

2004

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“…Subsequent incorporation of QW layers in a monolithic Fabry-Perot structure consisting of high reflectivity and low loss GaAs/AlAs Bragg stack, GaAs spacer, and appropriately designed top coating allowed adjusting the field strength at the location of the QW layers as well as on the input optical surface [18,[28][29][30][31]. This obviated the need for extended coupled cavities, thus making the device more robust, and also gave additional means for controlling intracavity dispersion and optical damage threshold [18,[32][33][34][35][36][37]. Possibilities of semiconductor material and structure engineering are very rich, indeed, while the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth processes allow for excellent control of growth process with a submonolayer precision.…”

Section: Quantum-well Saturable Absorbers: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semiconductor Quantum‐Dot Saturable Absorber Mirrors for Mode‐Locking Solid‐State Lasers

Pasiskevicius

Meiser

Butkus

et al. 2014

The Physics and Engineering of Compact Quantum Dot‐based Lasers for Biophotonics

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Scope of the ChapterThe main aim of this chapter is to give an account of the recent achievements in the development of semiconductor quantum dot saturable absorber mirrors (QD-SAMs) for picosecond and subpicosecond pulse generation in bulk solid-state lasers. This work benefited immensely from previous development of methods for self-assembled growth of uniform, controlled-size, and high-density InAs QD layers on GaAs substrates and the technologies, primarily destined for diode lasers [1].This work also leans heavily on the knowledge developed in the area of passively mode-locked solid-state lasers employing quantum-well saturable absorbers (QWSAMs). Indeed, the dynamics in a mode-locked bulk solid-state laser is similar for quantum well (QW) and QD-SAMs and therefore most of the design guidelines devised for QW structures apply for QD-SAMs as well. Nevertheless, QD-SAMs offer certain unique physical properties such as low saturation fluence, temperature stability, relatively large inhomogeneous broadening, and transition energy scaling due to quantum size effect, all of which can be exploited to advantage in mode-locked solid-state lasers.Realizing that we are approaching the 50-year anniversary from the first demonstration of mode-locked laser operation, we felt it appropriate to give a brief overview of the development of passively mode-locked lasers and try to give a brief account of how the semiconductor saturable absorber technology emerged and was developed to become dominant as it is today. Owing to limitations on the length of this text, this overview is necessarily very cursory where we only mark certain milestones of this exciting journey. A large and growing number of review articles have appeared along the way, and the interested reader is well advised to turn to those in order to delve deeper into the different aspects of the subject. Following the brief overview, we focus in more detail on specific requirements and properties of QD-SAMs. After that we give an account of the experimental realization of mode-locked bulk solid-state lasers in different spectral ranges: Yb:KYW operating around 1.04 μm, Cr:forsterite -around 1.26 μm, and Er:Yb:glass laser -around 1.53 μm, all usingThe Physics and Engineering of Compact Quantum Dot-based Lasers for Biophotonics, First Edition. Edited by Edik U. Rafailov.

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“…The growth rate was determined roughly with reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) oscillations and precisely by high resolution x-ray diffraction performed on a number of test structures. As the growth accuracy determines the smoothness of the group delay spectral characteristic [14] and the growth rate is not constant for different layer thicknesses, it was separately determined for thick (above 30 nm), medium (10-30 nm), and thin (5-10 nm) layers. Above 30 nm the growth rate was measured to be ∼1.0 µm h −1 whereas for a five times thinner AlAs layer it was higher by ∼10%.…”

Section: Sdcm Design and Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Semiconductor structures may also be used as optical dispersive elements inside the laser cavity, replacing prisms or recently developed dielectric mirrors in femtosecond oscillators [10][11][12][13]. Low refractive index contrast of semiconductor materials results in a higher number of mirror stack layers necessary to reach high reflectivity [14,15]. On the other hand, more layers in the mirror structure result in a larger difference in effective propagation depths for different wavelengths and thus higher dispersion per bounce can be achieved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A passively mode-locked, self-starting femtosecond Yb:KYW laser with a single highly dispersive semiconductor double-chirped mirror for dispersion compensation

et al. 2013

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We demonstrate a semiconductor double-chirped mirror consisting of an AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The mirror has a high negative group velocity dispersion of −2450 ± 100 fs2 and a reflectivity exceeding 98.9% over the spectral range spanning ±4 nm around 1035 nm. When used to compensate the cavity dispersion in a diode-pumped femtosecond Yb:KY(WO4)2 oscillator, at 490 mW of the absorbed pump power, the laser delivered 110 mW in pulses of 240 fs duration.

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Double-chirped semiconductor mirror for dispersion compensation in femtosecond lasers

Cited by 21 publications

References 12 publications

Optical characterization of semiconductor saturable absorbers

Optical characterization of semiconductor saturable absorbers

Semiconductor Quantum‐Dot Saturable Absorber Mirrors for Mode‐Locking Solid‐State Lasers

A passively mode-locked, self-starting femtosecond Yb:KYW laser with a single highly dispersive semiconductor double-chirped mirror for dispersion compensation

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