Portable laser diode module of sub-10 ps gain-switched pulse source at 1030 nm wavelength

We demonstrated a palm-sized portable uncooled laser diode module that generated repetition-rate-tunable gain-switched optical pulses with a sub-10 ps width at a center wavelength of 1030 nm and a 5.2 nm spectral width. The average output power was 110 mu W at a 100 MHz repetition rate, and the estimated pulse peak power was 124 mW. The stability of the pulse-to-pulse and average output power remained within approximately +/- 1%, indicating high stability. The module operated with a 5 V USB portable power supply, where the power consumption was 0.5 W.