Patent ID: 6625192
Filing Date: 2003-09-23
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
An optical pulse generator, comprising:a semiconductor device, which comprises: an optically-active region comprising a gain section and a saturable absorber (SA) section, which are adapted to generate coherent optical pulses; an output facet for coupling therethrough of the optical pulses generated in the optically-active region; and an SA electrode for application of a radio-frequency (RF) modulation of a desired frequency to the SA section; and an optical output assembly, optically coupled to the output facet of the semiconductor device so as to partially reflect the coherent optical pulses within a predetermined wavelength range, and positioned so as to form, together with the semiconductor device, a laser cavity having a resonant wavelength within the predetermined wavelength range and having an optical length such that a period of the RF modulation substantially equals a round-trip time for one of the pulses in the cavity, whereby the coherent optical pulses are output through the optical output assembly at a repetition rate substantially equal to the RF modulation.