Picosecond pulses from mode-locked quantum well semiconductor lasers

Semiconductor diode lasers can provide compact sources of ultrashort light pulses [1-2]. Our research efforts are aimed at the development of a widely tunable, diode laser source for the generation of picosecond, and ultimately sub-picosecond, pulses. The InGaAsP/InGaAs active region of the diode is composed of two quantum wells [3-4] grown lattice matched to GaAs. Work is done using both symmetric and asymmetric structures. All laser …