Patent ID: 7729393

Claim:
A surface emitting laser (SEL), comprising: a saturable absorber integrated with a gain region in a monolithic gain structure in a laser cavity of an SEL, the saturable absorber and the gain region being assembled in a single fabrication process to form the monolithic gain structure, the monolithic gain structure having at least one contact coupled to a pump to provide energy to the SEL, in response to which the saturable absorber and gain region operate with laser mode spot sizes in a Rayleigh range of a Gaussian laser mode of the SEL, the gain region and the saturable absorber being within the Rayleigh range of the Gaussian laser mode; the saturable absorber having a reduced saturation fluence relative to a saturation fluence of the gain region, wherein the SEL emits passively mode-locked laser output, wherein the saturable absorber comprises regions with quantum dots and regions without quantum dots, the regions with quantum dots being arranged in plural layers of quantum dots, and the saturation fluence of the saturable absorber relative to the saturation fluence of the gain region is reduced, and wherein the plural layers of quantum dots includes a first plurality of layers including quantum dots and a second plurality of layers including quantum dots, each of the first and second plurality of layers being positioned on separate respective peaks of a standing wave pattern, the region of the saturable absorber between and adjoining the first and second plurality of layers being a region without quantum dots, and the saturation fluence of the saturable absorber adjusts relative to the saturation fluence of the gain region.