| A push for improved performance from modern communication links has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for architectures which can provide greater bandwidth and lower noise while maintaining a low cost and small form factor. In this vein, the use of laser mode-locking to generate both low noise microwave oscillations and short optical pulses simultaneously is of interest, and the potential utility of this phenomenon has already driven much research in mode-locking in many types of lasers. Compact solid-state lasers are another attractive potential source for the generation of microwave carriers in analog systems, as well as optical pulses for digital applications.; This thesis concerns itself with the design of FM mode-locked composite-cavity electro-optic microchip lasers. In particular, the consequences of scaling these devices to operate at millimeter-wave frequencies where the cavity resonance frequencies begin to approach the gain bandwidth are considered. The requirements necessary for strict control of both the transverse and longitudinal cavity modes are discussed. The cavity geometry necessary for optimization of the interaction between the microwaves and optical waves is introduced. A semiclassical model based on the Maxwell-Bloch equations capable of illuminating the time-domain dynamics of the laser is formulated for a Fabry-Perot cavity under electro-optic modulation. Using these concepts, a prototype is developed, characterized, and experimentally studied. |
