Harmonically mode-locked Ti:Er:LiNbO(3) waveguide laser.

ABSTRACT

Active mode locking of an Er-diffusion-doped TiLiNbO(3) waveguide laser by intracavity phase modulation to as high as the fourth harmonic (5.12 GHz) of the axial-mode frequency spacing is reported. The diode-pumped, pigtailed, and fully packaged laser with a monolithically integrated intracavity phase modulator has a threshold of 9 mW (incident pump power E(p) || c) and emits transform-limited pulses of >/=3.8-ps width and pulse energy (gain-switched mode locking) at 1602-nm wavelength (E(s) || c). The relative change of the mode-locking frequency with the temperature is 3.65 x 10(-5)/ degrees C. The mode-locking acceptance bandwidth is +/-75 kHz near the axial-mode frequency spacing at approximately five times the threshold pump power.