Mode Locked Laser with Low Timing Jitter

"RJM Semiconductor proposes to develop very high frequency mode locked lasers withlow timing jitter. These mode locked lasers are important for a wide range of applicationsincluding high sampling rate A/D modules, sources for next-generation high speed timedivision multiplexed (TDM) optical transmission, optical clock recovery circuits, and forsoliton transmission. Our plan is to evaluate two different approaches with an operatingwavelength near 1.55um: (i) fiber laser based designs and (ii) all semiconductor collidingpulse mode locked (CPM) laser. The Phase I Tasks include (1) experimental evaluationand development of new methods to reduce timing jitter in fiber lasers using cavity designand phase locked loop stabilization, (2) theoretically analyze and demonstrate feedbackcontrol loop stabilized fiber lasers operating at 40GHz, (3) MBE growth, fabrication,and characterization of all semiconductor mode locked lasers, and (4) theoreticallyanalyze a colliding pulse mode locked (CPM) laser and its dependence upon variousparameters such as saturable absorption, gain, relative position of grating wavelengthand gain peak, and pulse repition rate in obtaining low timing jitter. In Phase II,our plan is to further develop and fabricate CPM lasers as deliverables. Packagingand high speed characterization of the CPM lasers will also be accomplished in Phase II. The development of Mode Locked Lasers with low timing jitter has many potential