SELF MODE - LOCKING SEMICONDUCTOR DISK LASER

摘要

The present invention describes a self mode locking laser and a method for self mode locking a laser. The laser (1) comprises a resonator terminated by first (3) and second (4) mirrors and folded by a third mirror (5). The third mirror comprises a single distributed Bragg reflector (17) upon which is mounted a multilayer semiconductor gain medium (18) and which includes at least one quantum well layer and an optical Kerr lensing layer (22). Self mode locking may be achieved by configuring the laser resonator such that the lensing effect of the Kerr lensing layer acts to reduce an astigmatism deliberately introduced to the cavity mode. The self mode locking of the laser may be further enhanced by selecting the length of the resonator such that a round trip time of a cavity mode is matched with an upper- state lifetime of one or more semiconductor carriers located within the gain medium.