Diploma Thesis

High Precision Wide Dynamic Range Nonlinear Reflectivity Measurement

Christian Walther

October 2004 - March 2005

Ultrafast Laser Physics Group
Prof. Dr. Ursula Keller
Institute of Quantum Electronics
ETH Zurich

A new method for measuring nonlinear reflectivities close to 100%, over several orders of magnitude of incident power, using lock-in detection at 100 MHz is demonstrated. Applied to the characterization of semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors (SESAMs), the technique allows measurements of higher precision than previously achieved, with errors below 0.1%, and has potential for further refinement.

Christian Walther 2005-03-30