Generation and measurement of high-power picosecond pulses from Q-switched two-section broad-area quantum well lasers

Optical pulses with energies as large as 120 pJ and pulse widths as short as 21 ps (FWHM) have been generated from Q-switched two-section broad-area quantum-well (QW) lasers. Employing an integrated photoconductive switch (PCS) as the switching element, our Q-switching scheme avoids packaging parasitics and allows jitter-free synchronization with the switching signal. As a result, it enables us to make an all-optical measurement of the optical pulse characteristics. In particular, a turn-on delay as short as 70 ps has been recorded for a cavity round-trip time of 17 ps. Computer simulations show good agreement with experimental data, and predict that the laser performance can be further improved by coating the facets and reducing the cavity length.<
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