Actively mode-locked 1.5-μm 10-GHz picosecond fiber laser using a monolithic semiconductor optical amplifier/electroabsorption modulator

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel 10-GHz actively modelocked polarization-maintaining fiber ring laser that utilizes a single device for gain, loss modulation, optical isolation, and repetition rate adjustment. This monolithic device incorporates a semiconductor optical amplifier with an electroabsorption modulator and provides net gain of 2.1 dB. The repetition rate of the 1.5-μm picosecond pulsetrains can be tuned by 2 ppm through perturbation of the electroabsorption modulator reverse bias.