Full stabilization and characterization of an optical frequency comb from a diode-pumped solid-state laser with GHz repetition rate

Hakobyan, Sargis; Wittwer, Valentin J.; Brochard, Pierre; Gürel, Kutan; Schilt, Stéphane; Mayer, A.; Keller, U.; Südmeyer, Thomas

doi:10.1364/oe.25.020437

Cited by 36 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This value is 200 times lower compared to the typical tuning coefficient of f CEO with the laser pump power (gain modulation) in our laser [18]. Nevertheless, the achievable CEO tuning was sufficient for f CEO locking by means of the OOM only.…”

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confidence: 56%

“…1. We used the same laser that we recently fully stabilized by cavity length control using a piezo-electrical transducer (for f rep ) and gain pump power modulation (for f CEO ) [18]. The Yb:CALGO laser is pumped by a commercial, spatially multimode, pump diode array (LIMO F100-DL980-EX1930), which is wavelength-stabilized by a volume holographic grating.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…An RC filter was used to prevent any cross talk between each DC current source and modulator and to reduce the current noise induced by the DC sources (see more details in Ref. [18]). …”

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confidence: 99%

“…The CEO bandwidth for gain modulation is limited to ∼280 kHz by the dynamics of the mode-locked laser cavity [18]. The OOM overcomes this limitation and achieves a CEO modulation bandwidth more than two times larger, with a 90°phase shift reached at ∼630 kHz.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Carrier-envelope offset stabilization of a GHz repetition rate femtosecond laser using opto-optical modulation of a SESAM

et al. 2017

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We demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the first carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency stabilization of a GHz femtosecond laser based on opto-optical modulation (OOM) of a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The 1.05-GHz laser is based on a Yb:CALGO gain crystal and emits sub-100-fs pulses with 2.1-W average power at a center wavelength of 1055 nm. The SESAM plays two key roles: it starts and stabilizes the mode-locking operation and is simultaneously used as an actuator to control the CEO frequency. This second functionality is implemented by pumping the SESAM with a continuous-wave 980-nm laser diode in order to slightly modify its nonlinear reflectivity. We use the standard f -to-2f method for detection of the CEO frequency, which is stabilized by applying a feedback signal to the current of the SESAM pump diode. We compare the SESAM-OOM stabilization with the traditional method of gain modulation via control of the pump power of the Yb:CALGO gain crystal. While the bandwidth for gain modulation is intrinsically limited to ∼250 kHz by the laser cavity dynamics, we show that the OOM provides a feedback bandwidth above 500 kHz. Hence, we were able to obtain a residual integrated phase noise of 430 mrad for the stabilized CEO beat, which represents an improvement of more than 30% compared to gain modulation stabilization. Optical frequency combs from mode-locked lasers [1-3] constitute a versatile tool for various applications such as optical frequency metrology [4,5], atomic clocks [6,7], or broadband high-resolution spectroscopy [8,9]. Some applications, e.g., the generation of ultra-low phase noise microwave signals by optical-to-microwave frequency division [10,11] or the calibration of astronomical spectrographs [12,13], benefit from the use of frequency combs with a high repetition rate in the multi-GHz range owing to their high power per comb mode and ease of access to individual optical lines. Most applications also require full-frequency comb stabilization, i.e., the two degrees of freedom, the repetition rate f rep , and the carrier-envelope offset (CEO) frequency f CEO need to be phase-coherently stabilized. The phase-stabilization of the CEO beat is usually the most challenging part. Since the CEO noise intrinsically scales with the repetition rate [14], the challenge is particularly pronounced for GHz repetition rate lasers. Traditionally, CEO stabilization is achieved using a phase-locked loop with feedback applied to the pump power of the femtosecond laser after detection of the CEO beat using nonlinear f-to-2f interferometry [1]. This method is particularly suitable for diode-pumped femtosecond lasers, such as fiber lasers or diode-pumped solidstate lasers (DPSSLs), for which the injection current of the pump diode can be directly modulated. However, the stabilization bandwidth is fairly limited by the cavity dynamics. The latter is partially determined by the upper-state lifetime of the gain material, which is typically in the range of a few μs to a few ms for the most comm...

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confidence: 56%

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confidence: 99%

“…An RC filter was used to prevent any cross talk between each DC current source and modulator and to reduce the current noise induced by the DC sources (see more details in Ref. [18]). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Carrier-envelope offset stabilization of a GHz repetition rate femtosecond laser using opto-optical modulation of a SESAM

et al. 2017

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“…Ultrafast lasers play significant roles in a wide range of areas, such as high‐speed optical communication, digital switching, and nonlinear microscopy, etc . In particular, rapid developments in multi‐gigahertz (GHz) mode‐locked lasers are stimulated by advances in the novel saturable absorber (SA) materials with superior nonlinear optical (NLO) response .…”

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confidence: 99%

Fused Silica with Embedded 2D‐Like Ag Nanoparticle Monolayer: Tunable Saturable Absorbers by Interparticle Spacing Manipulation

Pang

et al. 2020

Laser & Photonics Reviews

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Saturable absorbers are key elements for generation of ultrafast laser pulses. The commercially available semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors are wavelength sensitive and with complex fabrication process and high cost. Fused silica is one of the basic materials for various optical applications. Plasmonic nanoparticles can be used to efficiently modulate the optical properties of dielectric materials owing to the enhanced field effects based on localized surface plasmonic resonance. Ion implantation is a direct technique to synthesize plasmonic nanoparticles inside dielectric materials, which can simultaneously tailor the optical nonlinearity of substrates significantly. In this work, Ag ion implantation into fused silica with tunable interparticle spacing is used to generate broadband optical nonlinearities and to endow silica with ultrafast saturable absorption property. This ion implantation forms a 2D‐like Ag nanoparticle monolayer buried inside fused silica wafer. The fused silica with embedded 2D‐like Ag nanoparticle monolayer is further applied as a new saturable absorber to generate ultrafast laser pulses with pulse duration of 27 ps and repetition rate of 6.5 GHz through the passive mode‐locking process. This work opens up a new route to develop low‐cost, highly stable saturable absorbers, and offers the possibility to build novel silica‐based photonic systems through nanoparticle spacing manipulation.

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Lasing Based on Dielectric Waveguides

Chen

Amekura

Jia

2020

Springer Series in Optical Sciences

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Full stabilization and characterization of an optical frequency comb from a diode-pumped solid-state laser with GHz repetition rate

Cited by 36 publications

References 38 publications

Carrier-envelope offset stabilization of a GHz repetition rate femtosecond laser using opto-optical modulation of a SESAM

Carrier-envelope offset stabilization of a GHz repetition rate femtosecond laser using opto-optical modulation of a SESAM

Fused Silica with Embedded 2D‐Like Ag Nanoparticle Monolayer: Tunable Saturable Absorbers by Interparticle Spacing Manipulation

Lasing Based on Dielectric Waveguides

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