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

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.