Compact, synchronously diode-pumped tunable fiber Raman source of subpicosecond solitons around 1.6 microm.

A compact and simple all-fiber subpicosecond soliton source is demonstrated that employs synchronous Raman amplification in dispersion-shifted fiber from a gain-switched 1536-nm laser diode pump. Tuning between 1620 and 1660 nm is obtained by electronic variation of the gain-switching frequency around 54.47 MHz, and solitons as short as 400 fs are achieved. This configuration could form the basis of cheap, compact, and tunable femtosecond-pulse sources.