Claims
- 1. A monolithically integrated, mode-locked vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a resonator comprising:
a) an active medium for emitting a radiation; b) a spacer for extending said resonator to support a multiplicity of axial modes of said radiation; c) a saturable absorber for mode-locking said multiplicity of axial modes.
- 2. The laser of claim 1, wherein said resonator includes means for stabilizing said resonator to reduce diffraction losses and support one transverse mode of said radiation.
- 3. The laser of claim 2, wherein said means for stabilizing comprises a curvature in at least one distributed Bragg reflector.
- 4. The laser of claim 3, wherein said means for stabilizing further comprises a length of said resonator equal to twice the radius of said curvature such that said resonator is a half confocal resonator.
- 5. The laser of claim 3, wherein said means for stabilizing further comprises an aperture of said at least one distributed Bragg reflector.
- 6. The laser of claim 2, wherein said means for stabilizing said resonator comprises a lensing element embedded in said resonator.
- 7. The laser of claim 6, wherein said lensing element is a layered microlens.
- 8. The laser of claim 1, wherein said resonator includes means for compensating dispersion of said radiation in said resonator.
- 9. The laser of claim 8, said means for compensating dispersion in said resonator comprises a chirp in said at least one distributed Bragg reflector.
- 10. The laser of claim 1, wherein said resonator is defined between a first reflector and a second reflector, at least one of said first and second reflectors being a distributed Bragg reflector.
- 11. The laser of claim 1, wherein said resonator is built on a single substrate, and said spacer comprises said substrate.
- 12. The laser of claim 1, further comprising a pumping device for pumping said active medium.
- 13. The laser of claim 12, wherein said pumping device is selected from the group of electrical pumping devices and optical pumping devices.
- 14. The laser of claim 13, wherein said saturable absorber is located at an opposite end of said resonator from said active medium.
- 15. The laser of claim 1, wherein said active medium comprises quantum wells.
- 16. A method for mode-locking a monolithically integrated, vertical cavity surface emitting laser, said method comprising:
a) providing a resonator having an active medium for emitting a radiation; b) extending said resonator to support a multiplicity of axial modes of said radiation; c) providing said resonator with a saturable absorber for mode-locking said multiplicity of axial modes.
- 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising compensating dispersion of said radiation in said resonator.
- 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising stabilizing said resonator such that said resonator supports one transverse mode of said radiation and emits mode-locked pulses of said radiation.
- 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of stabilizing comprises focusing said radiation.
- 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising optically pumping said active medium.
- 21. The method of claim 16, further comprising electrically pumping said active medium.
- 22. The method of claim 16, wherein said vertical cavity surface emitting laser is constructed on a wafer substrate.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on the Provisional Patent Application 60/362,839 filed on Mar. 7, 2002 and herein incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60362839 |
Mar 2002 |
US |