Abstract

Picosecond pulses have been generated from optically pumped ultrashort-cavity semiconductor film lasers over the wavelength range from 0.77 to 1.59 μm using GaAs, InP, InGaAsP, and InGaAs as laser materials.^1,2 Each of these lasers operates In a single-longitudinal mode (or in a few cases, two modes) over a photon energy range >20% of its band gap energy. The wide spectral range of op- erat'ion is due to extensive bandfilling by the ~10²⁰carriers/cm³ created by optical excitation with an intense 0.5-psec pumping pulse at 0.625 μm. The single-mode operation is due to the widely spaced longitudinal resonances of the 5-μm long optical cavity. Picosecond film lasers of ln_0.70GA_0.30AS_0.36P_0.34 (photoluminescence peak at 1.30 μm) have Operated over the range from 1.11 to 1.34 μm.

© 1983 Optical Society of America