2024/05/16 by Florian Pilat, Pilat, Florian, Andreas Windischhofer +19 · 1 citation
Chemistry · Engineering · #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser Design and Applications #Optics (physics.optics) #Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2405.10203
openalex publication_date 2024/05/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03
Interband Cascade Lasers (ICL) have matured into a versatile technological platform in the mid-infrared spectral domain. To broaden their applicability even further, ongoing research pursues the emission of ultrashort pulses. The most promising approach is passive mode-locking with a fast saturable absorber. However, despite vast attempts no passive mode-locked ICL has been demonstrated up to date. In this study we perform pump-probe measurements on the ICL gain and show that its dynamics are mainly (∼70%) governed by a fast recovery time of 2 ps. Our findings explain why passive mode-locking has not succeeded so far, shedding a new light on ICL dynamics as we propose strategies to overcome the current limitations.