Monolithically integrated selectable repetition-rate laser diode source of picosecond optical pulses.

We describe the characterization of a monolithically integrated photonic device for short pulse generation featuring a mode-locked laser diode, a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM), and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The integrated device is designed for fabrication by a generic foundry scheme with a view to ease of design, testing, and manufacture. Trains of 6.8 ps pulses are generated at repetition rates that are electronically switchable from 14 GHz to 109 MHz. The SOA boosts the peak power by 7.4 dB, and the pulses are compressible to 2.4 ps by dispersion compensation using single-mode telecommunications fiber.This research leading to these results has received support from the UK EPSRC COPOS award EP/H022384/1 and from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement NMP 228839 EuroPIC.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final published version can be found on the publisher's website at: http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-39-14-414