Single-section mode-locked 1.55-μm InAs/InP quantum dot lasers grown by MOVPE

•Single-section InAs/InP QD mode-locked laser grown by MOVPE are experimentally studied for the first time.•A wide frequency tuning range up to 73 MHz and a RF spectral width less than 30 kHz is achieved.•For a 0.8-mm-long device, transform limited Gaussian-pulse with the pulse duration of 707 fs is achieved.

We report on ultra-short pulse single-section mode-locked lasers emitting at 1.55 μm, based on self-assembled InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum dot active regions grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). For a 1.5-mm-long Fabry-Perot laser, mode-locking at a repetition rate of 29.8 GHz with pulse duration of 855 fs is obtained without any external pulse compression techniques. The mode-beating exhibits a narrow RF linewidth less than 30 kHz, and a wide frequency tuning range up to 73 MHz can be achieved by simply changing the injection current. Moreover, a higher repetition rate of 55.6 GHz and the transform limited Gaussian-pulse with the 707 fs pulse duration are achieved from a device with a shorter cavity length of 0.8 mm.