1.2-ps mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber laser pulses generated by 60-ps backward dark-optical comb injection and soliton compression

Optically harmonic mode-locking of a semiconductor optical amplifier fiber laser (SOAFL) induced by backward injecting a dark-optical comb is demonstrated for the first time. The dark-optical comb with 60-ps pulsewidth is generated from a Mach-Zehnder modulator, which is driven by an electrical comb at a DC offset of 0.3V(pi). Theoretical simulation indicates that the backward injection of dark-optical comb results in a narrow gain window of 60 ps within one modulating period, providing a cross-gain-modulation induced mode-locking in the SOAFL with a shortest pulsewidth of 15 ps at repetition frequency of 1 GHz. The mode-locked SOAFL pulsewidth can be slightly shortened to 10.8 ps with a 200m-long dispersion compensating fiber. After nonlinearly soliton compression in a 5km-long single mode fiber, the pulsewidth, linewidth and time-bandwidth product become 1.2 ps, 2.06 nm and 0.31, respectively. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.