THEORY OF MODE-LOCKED SEMICONDUCTOR-LASERS WITH FINITE ABSORBER RELAXATION-TIMES

We investigate the influence of a finite absorber relaxation time on p assively mode-locked semiconductor lasers. We find that the mode-locki ng mechanism of Haus is surprisingly susceptible to small perturbation s and small changes in the parameters. Even when the absorber relaxati on time is much larger than the pulse duration, it typically is still short enough to be a crucial part of the physics of mode-locking. Allo wing for a finite absorber relaxation time, we find that stable operat ion of a mode-locked semiconductor is possible over a wide range of pa rameters. We argue that the pulse duration is inversely proportional t o the square root of the pulse energy. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.