Abstract

High-repetition-rate picosecond fiber lasers are natural candidates for sources for high-gigabit-rate fiber communications systems.^1,2 Passively mode-locked lasers produce picosecond pulses but suffer from timing and pulse dropout or multiple pulse instabilities. Hybrid actively and passively mode-locked lasers do not possess timing problems but may still suffer from multiple pulse production or dropouts. Lasers utilizing only active harmonic mode-locking generate one pulse in every timing window, but the pulses are typically broader than the picosecond pulses needed for high-speed optical communications.

© 1996 Optical Society of America