Sub-100 femtosecond pulses from an external-cavity surface-emitting InGaAs/InP multiple quantum well laser with soliton-effect compression

Abstract
We have compressed strongly chirped optical pulses from a synchronously pumped In0.53Ga0.47As/InP multiple quantum well surface‐emitting laser operating with an external cavity. The pulses, initially exhibiting a strong up‐chirp with a time‐bandwidth product of more than 100 times the Fourier transform limit, were compressed to 77 fs using dispersion and soliton compression in a negative group‐velocity‐dispersion fiber. Chirp compensation using a diffraction grating pair followed by soliton compression in a fiber gave pulses as short as 21 fs.