Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
08:48
Low-cost Custom Fabrication and Mode-locked Operation of an All-normal-dispersion Femtosecond Fiber Laser for Multiphoton Microscopy
Published on: November 22, 2019
High peak power optical pulses generated with a monolithic master-oscillator power amplifier
Hans Wenzel1, Sven Schwertfeger, Andreas Klehr
1Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin, Germany. wenzel@fbh‐berlin.de
Optics Letters
|June 5, 2012
Summary
This study demonstrates a monolithic semiconductor master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) achieving nearly 12 W output power. It generates 100 ps pulses, with optimized 84 ps pulses at 42 W peak power.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Semiconductor Lasers
- High-Power Amplifiers
Background:
- Monolithic integration of laser and amplifier components is crucial for compact and efficient optical systems.
- Master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) architectures offer advantages in beam quality and power scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present results on a novel monolithic semiconductor-based master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA).
- To investigate the performance of the MOPA in continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed operation.
- To characterize the output power, pulse width, and spectral properties of the generated optical pulses.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a single-chip MOPA integrating a distributed-feedback (DFB) laser and a tapered amplifier.
- Characterization of CW output power at a wavelength of 1064 nm.
- Generation and analysis of picosecond pulses by injecting nanosecond current pulses into the amplifier stages.
Main Results:
- The monolithic MOPA achieved an output power of almost 12 W in CW operation at 1064 nm.
- Picosecond pulses with a length of approximately 100 ps were generated.
- Optimized pulse generation yielded 84 ps pulses with 42 W peak power and a spectral width of 160 pm.
Conclusions:
- The developed monolithic semiconductor MOPA is capable of high continuous-wave output power.
- The MOPA effectively generates picosecond pulses suitable for various applications.
- The device shows potential for high-peak-power pulsed laser sources.
