Compact 1064 nm ps-light source on a micro bench with free adjustable repetition rate and nJ pulse energy

In this paper the authors present a compact module, where ps-light pulses with a free adjustable repetition rate and a pulse energy in the nJ range can be generated. It combines a mode-locked laser as master oscillator and a novel semiconductor based pulse picker. Optical pulses generated by the master oscillator are coupled into the ridge waveguide section (RW) of the pulse-picking element which transparency is modulated by the injection of short current pulses. Thus it acts as an optical gate and selects the desired pulses. Afterwards the picked pulsed are amplified in a tapered section of the pulse-picking element.