title: Self-starting mode locking in a Cr:forsterite laser by use of non-epitaxially-grown semiconductor-doped silica films.
abstract: We demonstrate RF sputtered, non-epitaxially-grown semiconductor nanocrystallite-doped silica films for mode locking a Cr:forsterite laser. We controlled the size and the optical properties of the nanocrystallites by varying the ratio of InAs to SiO(2) during fabrication. Femtosecond pump-probe measurements were performed to characterize the nonlinear optical properties of these films, revealing their lower saturation fluences. Using the InAs-doped silica films as saturable absorbers permitted self-starting Kerr-lens mode locking (KLM), generating pulses of 25-fs duration with 91-nm spectral bandwidth at 1.3 microm . We also describe saturable-absorber mode-locked operation without KLM and investigate its dependence on intracavity dispersion.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Prasankumar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chudoba
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ruane