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We are demonstrating a high-power, broadband 840-nm light source, where amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from a superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED) is amplified by a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) in order to generate power levels of 100-300 mW in free-space. The optical architecture of this light source resembles a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration.

We present a quasi-static model for the accurate simulation of swept source external cavity lasers. The model is based on steady-state solutions of multi-mode rate equations. The wavelength sweep is incorporated in the model by a spectral slicing technique. A comparison with experimental results demonstrates the usefulness of our approach. Limitations for the simulation of high-speed swept sources arising from the quasi-static approach presented here are discussed. Our model is a first step towards a time-dependent model that contains a full dynamic description of all relevant nonlinear effects.

Numerical simulations are inevitable for the development and optimization of GaN-based superluminescent light-emitting diodes (SLEDs) for the blue and green spectral region. Depending on their application the devices have to be optimized with respect to given specifications. We discuss the simulation of various device performance parameters as well as the basic calibration of the full 3D device simulator. We use well-characterized SLED devices realized with standard epitaxial structures for the calibration procedure. A comparison between simulated and measured data allows the extraction of important simulation parameters such as the screening factor.

Here, we report on the development and properties of our latest high power narrow-stripe G08 laser diode and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) stabilized module. The development of high power single-mode laser diodes and modules with a fiber-coupled power exceeding 0.5 W enables the fabrication of attractive sources for a wide range of frequency conversion and pumping applications.

We report on novel double-chirped mirrors (DCMs) that offer center wavelength tunability of 30-fs pulses between 700 and 1000 nm. Self-starting has been achieved by employing broadband semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs). Previously, we demonstrated 6.5-fs pulses using DCMs in combination with a prism pair for dispersion compensation. In this paper, we demonstrate widely tunable pulses from the same resonator with newly fabricated broadband DCMs. The cavity consists of a thin Ti:sapphire crystal.