Broadband semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for a self-starting mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser

Abstract
We report a low-loss broadband semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror (SESAM) that uses gold film as the reflector. A semiconductor–SiO2 double-layer stack enhances the reflectivity of the gold film. This low-loss SESAM was used in a mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser to produce self-starting 20-fs-scale laser pulses at 1.3 µm. The structure can be applied to SESAM’s for other wavelengths.