Laser power is often thought of a constraint of semiconductor laser devices and FAST-DOT has been successful in developing new amplification methods to overcome this challenge and can point to a world record in peak power of mode locked (ML) tapered laser of 15W. This result was achieved using advanced simulation modelling techniques to optimise the design of tapered ML lasers and in QD fully gain guided two sections tapered laser. The schematic structure is shown in the following figure.

In addition, record-high 17.7 W peak power pulses were achieved from a monolithic ML laser (1.26 ps pulse duration) and the generation of a Fourier-limited 672 fs pulses with a peak power of 3.8 W. The state-of-the-art in semiconductor laser power has also been advanced by the demonstration of record-high peak power achieved from an external-cavity quantum dot laser at the 1.3 μm wavelength band. Without pulse compression or optical amplification, pico-second pulses with 1.5 W peak power were generated.