Abstract

In recent years the generation of ultra short laser pulses in the near-infrared has been achieved mainly through the use of Kerr Lens Mode-locking (KLM). However, the main drawback of KLM is the need for starting aids except for highly optimised cavity designs where self-starting is possible. One starting mechanism that has been used successfully in KLM lasers is the saturable nonlinearity of a semiconductor Anti-resonant Fabry-Perot Saturable Absorber (A-FPSA) [1]. Several different A-FPSA designs have now been used to modelock broad band laser materials like Ti:Sapphire, Cr:LiSAF and Nd:glass by mechanisms other than KLM, with the A-FPSA as the sole passive modulator (e. g. soliton mode-locking).

© 1998 IEEE