Actively mode-locked erbium fiber ring laser using a Fabry–Perot semiconductor modulator as mode locker and tunable filter

A wavelength-tunable actively mode-locked erbium fiber ring laser was demonstrated using a Fabry–Perot semiconductor modulator. The modulator played the simultaneous roles of an intensity mode locker and a tunable optical filter. Stable single- or dual-wavelength nearly transform-limited picosecond pulses at gigabit repetition rates were generated. Continuous wavelength tuning was achieved by simply controlling the temperature of the modulator. Pulse train with a repetition rate up to 19.93 GHz (eight times the driving frequency) was obtained by using rational harmonic mode-locking technique.