Active mode locking of broadband quantum cascade lasers

Alexander Soibel, Federico Capasso, Claire F. Gmachl, Milton L. Peabody, A. Michael Sergent, Roberto Paiella, Harold Y. Hwang, Deborah L. Sivco, Alfred Y. Cho, H. C. Liu, Christian Jirauschek, Franz X. Kärtner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Active mode locking in broadband quantum cascade (QC) lasers with a repetition rate of about 14.3 GHz has been achieved through the modulation of the laser bias current. At low driving currents, the active mode locking in broadband QC lasers resembles the active mode locking in single-wavelength QC lasers, while at high driving currents, the mode locking properties are governed by the broad spectral gain of these lasers. At high bias currents, the active modulation excites Fabry-Perot modes across the entire gain spectrum from 6.7 to 7.4 μm, with clear evidence of mode locking. The spectral width of the optical gain in the broadband QC lasers exceeds 2 THz and indicates the potential for generating subpicosecond pulses.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)844-851
Number of pages8
JournalIEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
Volume40
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2004

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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