Dynamic process of self-started self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

Dynamic process of self-started self-mode-locked Ti : sapphire laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) was investigated and two mode-locking starting processes were found in which one is fast and the other is slow. In the fast starting process, a mode-locking build-up time of about 400 mu s was needed during which pure passive modelocking process was caused by the SESAM and Kerr-lens mode-locking process arose from the nonlinearity of the Ti : sapphire gain medium. In the slow starting process, a build-up time of about several minutes was found in which temperature effect of the SESAM dominates the dynamic process.