Reduction of timing jitter in passively Q-switched microchip lasers using self-injection seeding

We present an efficient, simple, and passive technique for the reduction of timing jitter in passively Q-switched microchip lasers via self-injection seeding using a fiber delay line. The presented approach mitigates one inherent issue of passively Q-switched lasers without the need for active stabilization. At a repetition rate of a few hundred kilohertz and pulse duration of ~200 ps delivered by a microchip laser, the rms jitter is reduced from several nanoseconds down to 20 ps, hence, significantly below the pulse duration of the laser source. © 2010 Optical Society of America