This thesis reports on the development of glass-based femtosecond laser sources around 2 µm wavelength. In order to be able to produce 2 µm radiation the dopants used were trivalent Thulium (Tm³⁺) and trivalent Holmium (Ho³⁺) that could be optically pumped with Ti:Sapphire radia…
Ultralow threshold, compact and highly efficient femtosecond lasers based on Yb³⁺ -doped potassium yttrium tungstate (Yb:KYW) and Yb³⁺ -doped vanadium yttrium oxide (Yb:YVO 4 ) have been demonstrated within this PhD-research project. For a continuous wave unmode-locked Yb:KYW la…
In this thesis, novel regimes of mode locking in quantum dot semiconductor laser diodes have been investigated by exploiting the unique features offered by quantum dots. Using an unconventional approach, the role of excited state transitions in the quantum dots was exploited as …
In this thesis two previously separate fields of study are brought together: optical micromanipulation and ultrashort laser research. Here, the benefits of combining the high peak powers of ultrashort pulsed lasers and conventional optical micromanipulation techniques are explor…
This thesis describes the process of developing a robust phase measurement technique with which to analyse semiconductor based devices intended for use in optoelectronic/all optical networks. The devices measured are prospective dispersion compensators, based either on planar ph…