Phase stability of terawatt-class ultrabroadband parametric amplification

The phase stability of broadband (280 nm bandwidth) terawatt-class parametric amplification was measured, for the first time to our knowledge, with a combination of spatial and spectral interferometry. Measurements at four different wavelengths from 750 to 900 nm were performed in combination with numerical modeling. The phase stability is better than 1/23 rms of an optical cycle for all the measured wavelengths, depending on the phase-matching conditions in the amplifier. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America

Passively Mode-Locked 4.6 and 10.5 GHz Quantum Dot Laser Diodes Around 1.55 mu m With Large Operating Regime

tum dot laser diodes operating at wavelengths around 1.55 µm is reported. For a 4.6-GHz laser, a large operating regime of stable mode-locking, with RF-peak heights of over 40 dB, is found for injection currents of 750 mA up to 1.0 A and for values of the ab-sorber bias voltage of 0 V down to −3 V. Optical output spectra are broad, with a bandwidth of 6–7 nm. However, power exchange between different spectral components of the laser output leads to a relatively large phase jitter, resulting in a total timing jitter of around 35 ps. In a 4-mm-long, 10.5-GHz laser, it is shown that the operating regime of stable mode-locking is limited by the appear-ance of quantum dot excited state lasing, since higher injection current densities are necessary for these shorter lasers. The out-put pulses are stretched in time and heavily up-chirped with a value of 16–20 ps/nm. This mode of operation can be compared to Fourier domain mode-locking. The lasers have been realized using a fabrication technology that is compatible with further photonic integration. This makes such lasers promising candidates for, e.g., a coherent multiwavelength source in a complex photonic chip. Index Terms—Mode-locked lasers, quantum dots, semiconduc-tor lasers. I