Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

1-29-2009

Abstract

As the speed barrier is reached in traditional integrated circuits, the need to produce ultra-fast optical pulses is of growing importance. By using optical pulses as clock sequence generators, it is possible to overcome the bottlenecks due to RC delays and the excessive power consumption of todays technology. In this thesis a quantum dot mode-locked laser is passively locked and using the double-interval technique achieves higher order harmonics. The double-interval technique is commonly used with musicians to create false harmonics while they strum their instruments. When a violinist places his finger upon a string he creates a node that changes the tune of the violin as it is strummed. The strumming of the violin without the violinist placing a finger upon the fingerboard creates the first harmonic also known as the fundamental harmonic. If the location of the node were in the center of the fingerboard, this would result in the creation of the second harmonic. Placing the finger at a location at a third, fourth, or fifth of the fingerboard will result with the third, fourth, and fifth harmonics, respectively. Using this as a base the double-interval technique is applied to a passively locked mode-locked laser in this study. The double-interval technique allows for the generation of harmonics that would not easily be possible with a traditional passively locked mode-locked laser. The double-interval technique utilizes the stimulation of the prime number harmonics in unison in order to achieve higher order harmonics. The laser in this study has a fundamental frequency of approximately 6.0 GHz and its second, third, fifth, sixth, and tenth harmonics are presented.'

Keywords

Mode-locked lasers, Quantum dots, Picosecond pulses, Second harmonic generation.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Christodoulou, Christos

Second Committee Member

Grillot, Frédéric

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