Soliton generation by active mode-locking of semiconductor lasers

Soliton transmission over optical fibers is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the transmission capacity of future communication systems. Mode-locked monolithic semiconductor lasers are attractive sources for systems employing optical solitons. A monolithic laser device in which the cavity had been extended by means of a low-loss passive waveguide section is shown. This device includes a Bragg reflector which limits the bandwidth and prevents mode-locking in more than one cluster. Actively mode-locked it generates 20 ps pulses with a time-bandwidth product of 0.34.<
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