Adrian H. Quarterman

Ultrafast optical Stark mode-locked semiconductor laser

We report on 260 fs transform-limited pulses generated directly by an optical Stark passively mode-locked semiconductor disk laser at a 1 GHz repetition rate. A surface recombination semiconductor saturable absorber mirror and a step-index gain structure are used. Numerical propagation modeling of the optical Stark effect confirms that this mechanism is able to form the pulses that we observe.

High Peak Power Femtosecond Pulse Passively Mode-Locked Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser

We report a passively mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) producing 335-fs near-transform-limited pulses at a repetition rate of 1 GHz with an average output power of 120 mW at a center wavelength of 999 nm. The VECSEL was optically pumped with a power of 1.85 W at a wavelength of 830 nm. The peak power of the output pulses was 315 W.

175 GHz, 400-fs-pulse harmonically mode-locked surface emitting semiconductor laser

We report a harmonically mode-locked vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) producing 400 fs pulses at a repetition frequency of 175 GHz with an average output power of 300 mW. Harmonic mode-locking was established using a 300 µm thick intracavity single crystal diamond heat spreader in thermal contact with the front surface of the gain sample using liquid capillary bonding. The repetition frequency was set by the diamond microcavity and stable harmonic mode locking was achieved when the laser cavity length was tuned so that the laser operated on the 117th harmonic of the fundamental cavity. When an etalon placed intracavity next to the gain sample, but not in thermal contact was used pulse groups were observed. These contained 300 fs pulses with a spacing of 5.9 ps. We conclude that to achieve stable harmonic mode locking at repetition frequencies in the 100s of GHz range in a VECSEL there is a threshold pulse energy above which harmonic mode locking is achieved and below which groups of pulses are observed.

All-semiconductor room-temperature terahertz time domain spectrometer

We report what we believe to be the first demonstration of an all-semiconductor room-temperature terahertz time domain spectrometer. An optical Stark mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser with 480 fs pulses at 1044 nm was used to illuminate low-temperature-grown photoconductive antennae with 5 mum-gap bow-tie-shaped electrodes. The coherently detected spectrum has a bandwidth close to 1 THz, in which water absorption lines at 0.555 and 0.751 THz can be resolved.

Passively harmonically mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser emitting 1.1 ps pulses at 147 GHz repetition rate

Coupled-cavity passive harmonic mode-locking of a quantum well based vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser has been demonstrated, yielding an output pulse train of 1.5 ps pulses at a repetition rate of 80 GHz and with an average power of 80 mW. Harmonic mode-locking results from coupling between the main laser cavity and a cavity formed within the substrate of the saturable absorber structure. Mode-locking on the second harmonic of the substrate cavity allows a train of 1.1 ps pulses to be generated at a repetition rate of 147 GHz with 40 mW average power.

Repetition-frequency-tunable mode-locked surface emitting semiconductor laser between 2.78 and 7.87 GHz

We report a repetition frequency tunable, passively mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser (VECSEL) with continuous repetition frequency tuning between 2.78 and 7.87 GHz using mechanical tuning of the laser cavity length. The laser emits near-transform-limited, sub-500-fs pulses over almost an octave tuning range between 2.78 and 5 GHz. At repetition rates above 6 GHz the pulse duration increases to ~2.5 ps. Over the entire tuning range the laser emits an average output power of 40 ± 5 mW in a fundamental transverse mode. The change in pulse duration highlights a change in the dominant modelocking mechanism which forms the pulses. At high repetition frequencies the pulse duration is set by the saturable absorber recovery time. At low repetition frequencies the fluence and peak intensity on the SESAM increases to a point where the fast pulse shaping mechanisms of the optical Stark effect and carrier thermalization dominate the pulse shortening.

Terahertz emission by diffusion of carriers and metal-mask dipole inhibition of radiation

Terahertz (THz) radiation can be generated by ultrafast photo-excitation of carriers in a semiconductor partly masked by a gold surface. A simulation of the effect taking into account the diffusion of carriers and the electric field shows that the total net current is approximately zero and cannot account for the THz radiation. Finite element modelling and analytic calculations indicate that the THz emission arises because the metal inhibits the radiation from part of the dipole population, thus creating an asymmetry and therefore a net current. Experimental investigations confirm the simulations and show that metal-mask dipole inhibition can be used to create THz emitters.

Variable repetition frequency femtosecond-pulse surface emitting semiconductor laser

We report a femtosecond-pulse vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser with a continuous repetition frequency tuning range of 8% near 1 GHz. A constant average output power of 56 ± 1 mW and near-transform-limited pulse duration of 450 ± 20 fs were observed across the entire tuning range.

High-Repetition-Rate Subpicosecond Source of Fiber-Amplified Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Semiconductor Laser Pulses

We report a 6-GHz fundamental repetition-rate source of 545-fs pulses with 1.5-W average power at 1042.6 nm, based on ytterbium-doped fiber amplification of a Stark mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser.

A wavelength tuneable 2-ps pulse VECSEL

We report a mode-locked Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VECSEL) that exhibits 13.7 nm of tuning around a centre wavelength of 1042 nm. The wavelength tuning is achieved by incorporating an uncoated, 25 μm thick, fused silica etalon into the cavity of the laser at Brewsters angle. The etalon is then tilted with respect to the cavity axis. The etalon has a calculated free spectral range of 14 nm at normal incidence. The repetition rate of the laser is measured to be 1.88 GHz. The pulse duration, averaged over the tuning range, is 1.9 ps corresponding to a mean time bandwidth product of 0.46. For a sech2 pulse this is 1.46 times larger than the transform limit. The average power of the laser does not fall below 2.6 mW and, over the tuning range, averages 3.5 mW. With appropriate amplification, such a laser would be highly suited to the generation of heralded single photons in photonic crystal fibre.