Ultrafast injection-locked amplification in a thin-film distributed feedback microcavity

Abstract

Injection mode locking is an important technique to achieve high-performance laser sources. Although this technique has been utilized in conventional laser systems, it has not been applied in thin-film distributed feedback lasers based on nanoscale photonic structures. We demonstrate an ultrafast injection-locked amplifier by injecting femtosecond supercontinuum pulses into a polymer-coated DFB microcavity. The amplifier works in the time scale of picoseconds and a bandwidth of 1 nm, supplying an easily recollimatable laser beam with excellent transverse mode. This introduces a miniaturized and easily integratable laser device for both near-field and far-field applications.