Time-domain diffuse optical sources  must have the following characteristics; emission wavelength in the optical window i.e. between 650 and 1350 nanometre (nm); a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), ideally a delta function; high repetition rate (>20 MHz) and finally, sufficient laser power (>1 mW) to achieve good signal to noise ratio.
In the past bulky tunable Ti:sapphire Lasers were used. They provided a wide wavelength range of 400 nm, a narrow FWHM (< 1 ps) high average power (up to 1W) and high repetition (up to 100 MHz) frequency. However, they are bulky, expensive and take a long time for wavelength swapping.
In recent years, pulsed fiber lasers based on super continuum  generation have emerged. They provide a wide spectral range (400 to 2000 ps), typical average power of 5 to 10 W, a FWHM of < 10ps and a repetition frequency of tens of MHz. However, they are generally quite expensive and lack stability in super continuum generation and hence, have been limited in there use.
The most wide spread sources are the pulsed diode lasers. They have a FWHM of around 100 ps and repetition frequency of up to 100 MHz and an average power of about a few milliwatts. Even though they lack tunability, their low cost and compactness allows for multiple modules to be used in a single system.