Abstract

Colliding pulse mode-locking (CPM) [1] has been the most common technique to generate ultra-short optical pulses in the femtosecond regime in passive mode-locked dye lasers operating in visible and near infrared regions. In many applications such as ultrafast all-optical switching and multiplexing, high speed time-division-multiplexed (TDM) optical communications systems, and soliton transmission in optical fibers, a compact and stable source generating short optical pulses is needed. By building the whole mode-locked laser on a single piece of semiconductor, the short-pulse source becomes extremely compact Since there are no mechanical moving parts, the tedious optical alignment process is completely eliminated. A further advantage of the monolithic mode-locked diode lasers is their capability to generate optical pulses at ultra-high repetition frequencies. Because the whole laser cavity can be scaled down to a few hundred micrometers, continuous pulse train with repetition rates near 1 THz can be obtained. This is very useful for applications in optical generation of millimeter waves and sub-millimeter waves.

© 1992 The Author(s)