title: Low repetition rate SESAM modelocked VECSEL using an extendable active multipass-cavity approach.
abstract: Ultrafast VECSELs are compact pulsed laser sources with more flexibility in the emission wavelength compared to diode-pumped solid-state lasers. Typically, the reduction of the pulse repetition rate is a straightforward method to increase both pulse energy and peak power. However, the relatively short carrier lifetime of semiconductor gain materials of a few nanoseconds sets a lower limit to the repetition rate of passively modelocked VECSELs. This fast gain recovery combined with low pulse repetition rates leads to the buildup of multiple pulses in the cavity. Therefore, we applied an active multipass approach with which demonstrate fundamental modelocking at a repetition rate of 253 MHz with 400 mW average output power in 11.3 ps pulses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. zauggc@phys.ethz.ch
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Zaugg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Pallmann
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Wittwer
authors.forename: O D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Sieber
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangold
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golling
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Weingarten
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Tilma
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Südmeyer
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D007834:Lasers; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000379:methods*; D012666:Semiconductors