HARMONICALLY MODE-LOCKED TI-ER-LINBO3 WAVE-GUIDE LASER

Active mode locking of an Er-diffusion-doped Ti:LiNbO3 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-pum ped, pigtailed, and fully packaged laser with a monolithically integra ted intracavity phase modulator has a threshold of 9 mW (incident pump power E(p) parallel to c) and emits transform-limited pulses of great er than or equal to 3.8-ps width and less than or equal to 5.6-pJ puls e energy (gain-switched mode locking) at 1602-nm wavelength (E(s) para llel to c). The relative change of the mode-locking frequency with the temperature is 3.65 x 10(-5)/degrees C. The mode-locking acceptance b andwidth is +/-75 kHz near the axial-mode frequency spacing at approxi mately five times the threshold pump power.