Beam divergence effects on high power optical parametric oscillation

The beam divergence effects of the input pump laser on a high power nanosecond optical parametric oscillator （OPO） have been numerically simulated. The OPO conversion efficiency is affected due to the angular deviation of real laser beams from ideal phase matching conditions. Our theoretical model is based on the decomposition of the Gaussian beam and assumes each component has a single deviation angle and thus a particular wave vector mismatch. We take into account the variable intensity profile in the spatial and temporal domains of the Gaussian beam, the pump depletion effects for large-signal processes as well as the oscillatory effects of the three waves. Two nonlinear crystals β-BaB2O4 （BBO） and LiB305 （LBO） have been investigated in detail. The results indicate that the degree of beam divergence strongly influences the maximum pump intensity, optimum crystal length and OPO conversion efficiency. The impact of beam divergence is much more severe in the case of critical phase-matching for BBO than in the case of non-critical phase-matching for LBO. The results provide a way to choose the optimum parameters for a high power ns OPO such as the nonlinear material, the crystal length and the pump intensity, etc. Good agreement is obtained with our experimental results.

Line-narrowed electro-optic periodically-poled-lithium-niobate Q-switched laser with intra-cavity optical parametric oscillation using a grazing-incidence grating

We report a line-narrowed electro-optic periodically-poled-lithium-niobate （PPLN） Q-switched laser with intra-cavity optical parametric oscillation using a grazing-incidence grating, producing 8-ns, 5-#J pulses at 10-kHz repetition rate when pumped with a 10-W diode laser at 808 rim. The output wavelength is centered at 1554.3 nm with a 0.03-nm spectral width. Wavelength tuning is achieved by rotating a mirror and changing the crystal temperature.

High power,widely tunable femtosecond MgO:PPLN optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate a high power,widely tunable femtosecond MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate(MgO:PPLN)optical parametric oscillator(OPO)at 151 MHz,pumped by a Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:KGW laser.With a maximum pump power of 7 W,the OPO is capable of delivering as high as 2.2 W of the signal centered around 1500 nm with tunable signal spectrum ranges of 1377 nm-1730 nm at an extraction efficiency of 31.4%,which exhibits a long-term passive power stability better than 0.71%rms over 4 h.The maximum idler bandwidths of 185 nm at 3613 nm are obtained across the idler tuning ranges of 2539 nm-4191 nm.By compensating intracavity dispersion,the signal has the shortest pulse duration of 170 fs at 1428 nm.

Comparative investigation of long-wave infrared generation based on ZnGeP_2 and CdSe optical parametric oscillators

Long-wave infrared （IR） generation based on type-Ⅱ （o→e＋o） phase matching ZnGeP2 （ZGP） and CdSe optical parametric oscillators （OPOs） pumped by a 2.05μm Tm,Ho：GdVO4 laser is reported. The comparisons of the birefringent walk-off effect and the oscillation threshold between ZGP and CdSe OPOs are performed theoretically and experimentally. For the ZGP OPO, up to 419 mW output at 8.04 μm is obtained at the 8 kHz pump pulse repetition frequency （PRF） with a slope efficiency of 7.6%. This ZGP OPO can be continuously tuned from 7.8 to 8.5 μm. For the CdSe OPO, we demonstrate a 64 mW output at 8.9μm with a single crystal 28 mm in length.

Continuous-wave mid-infrared intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

This paper reports a continuous-wave （CW） mid-infrared intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate （PPLN） pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd：YVO4 laser. Considering the thermal lens effects, it adopted an optical ballast lens and the near-concentric cavity for better operation. At the PPLN＇s grating period of 28.5 μm and the temperature of 140℃, the maximum idler output power of 155 mW at 3.86 μm has been achieved when the 808 nm pump power is 8.5 W, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.82%.

High efficiency continuous-wave tunable signal output of an intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

In this paper we report on a continuous-wave （CW） intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator （ICSRO） based on periodically poled LiNbO3 （PPLN） pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd：YVO4 laser. Considering the thermal lens effects and diffraction loss, an optical ballast lens and a near-concentric cavity are adopted for better operation. Through varying the grating period and the temperature, the tunable signal output from 1406 nm to 1513 nm is obtained. At a PPLN grating period of 29 pm and a temperature of 413 K, a maximum signal output power of 820 mW at 1500 nm is achieved when the 808 nm pump power is 10.9 W, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 7.51%.

Low noise,continuous-wave single-frequency 1.5-μm laser generated by a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We report a low noise continuous-wave （CW） single-frequency 1.5-μm laser source obtained by a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator （SRO） based on periodically poled lithium niobate （PPLN）. The SRO was pumped by a CW single-frequency Nd：YVO4 laser at 1.06μm. The 1.02 W of CW single-frequency signal laser at 1.5 μm was obtained at pump power of 6 W. At the output power of around 0.75 W, the power stability was better than ±l.5% and no mode-hopping was observed in 30 min and frequency stability was better than 8.5 MHz in 1 min. The signal wavelength could be tuned from 1.57 to 1.59 μm by varying the PPLN temperature. The 1.5-μm laser exhibits low noise characteristics, the intensity noise of the laser reaches the shot noise limit （SNL） at an analysis frequency of 4 MHz and the phase noise is less than 1 dB above the SNL at analysis frequencies above 10 MHz.

High-Efficiency Mid-Infrared Picosecond MgO:PPLN Single Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator

We demonstrate a high-emciency mid-infrared picosecond optical parametric oscillator （OPO） based on MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobate （MgO：PPLN） with a laser diode array （LDA） pumped Innoslab amplifier as the pumping source. Under a 16 W synchronously pumping power, 4.5 W of idler light at 2896nm is obtained. A tuning range of idler light from 2688nm to 3016nm is achieved, within which the highest optical-optical conversion ettlciency from pump power to OPO output is 35.1%. Moreover, a signal light of -500mW from 1644 to 1700nm with a repetition rate of 233.8 MHz is generated.

Corneal damage effects induced by infrared optical parametric oscillator radiation at 3743 nm

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the corneal damage effects induced by mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator(OPO)radiation.Experiments were performed to determine the corneal damage thresholds of New Zealand white rabbit at the wavelength of 3743 nm for ex-posurédurations of 0.1 s,1.0 s and 10.0 s.Through slit-lamp biomicroscope and histopathology,corneal injury characteristics were revealed.The damage thresholds were 3.73 J/cm^(2),7.91 J/cm^(2)and 31.1 J/cm^(2),respectively,for exposure durations of 0.1 s,1.0 s and 10.0 s.The damage data was correlated by an empirical equation:Radiant exposure at the threshold=9.72×exposure duration,^(0.46)where the units of radiant exposure and exposure duration were J/cm^(2)and second.At near-threshold level,corneal injuries at 1 h post-exposure mainly involved the epithelium,and the epithelium damages repaired at 24-h post-exposure.There are sufficient safety margins be-tween the damage thresholds and the maximum permitted exposures from current international laser safety standard IEC 60825-1.

Tunable femtosecond near-infrared source based on a Yb:LYSO-laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate a widely tunable near-infrared source from 767 nm to 874 nm generated by the intracavity second harmonic generation （SHG） in an optical parametric oscillator pumped by a Yb：LYSO solid-state laser. The home-made Yb：LYSO oscillator centered at 1035 nm delivers an average power of 2 W and a pulse duration as short as 351 fs. TWo MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobates （MgO：PPLN） with grating periods of 28.5-31.5 μm in steps of 0.5 μm and 19.5-21.3μm in steps of 0.2 μm are used for the OPO and intracavity SHG, respectively. The maximum average output power of 180 mW at 798 nm was obtained and the output pulses have pulse duration of 313 fs at 792 nm if a sech2-pulse shape was assumed. In addition, tunable signal femtosecond pulses from 1428 nm to 1763 nm are also realized with the maximum average power of 355 mW at 1628 nm.

Widely Tunable Middle Infrared Optical Parametric Oscillator Pumped by the Q-Switched Ho：GdVO_4 Laser

We demonstrate a middle infrared ZnGeP_2 optical parametric oscillator pumped by the Q-switched Ho：GdVO_4 laser. When the incident Ho pump power is 4.12 W, the maximum average output power of the ZGP-OPO laser is 2.05 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 74.6%. The ZGP-OPO laser produces 4.2 ns mid-infrared pulses at a pulse repetition rate of 5 kHz. In addition, we obtain 0.8 um of tunable range for the signal wave and 2.1 um of tunable range for the idler wave.

Angular spectrum characters of high gain non-critical phase match optical parametric oscillators

The angular spectrum gain characters and the power magnification characters of high gain non-walk-off colinear optical parametric oscillators have been studied using the non-colinear phase match method for the first time. The experimental results of the KTiOAs04 and the KTiOP04 crystals are discussed in detail. At the high energy single resonant condition, low reflective ratio of the output mirror for the signal and long non-linear crystal are beneficial for small divergence angles. This method can also be used for other high gain non-walk-off phase match optical parametric orocesses.

A Mid-IR Optical Parametric Oscillator Pumped by an Actively Q-Switched Ho:YAG Ceramic Laser

We demonstrate a mid-IR ZnGeP2 （ZGP） optical parametric oscillator （OPO） pumped by a dual-end-pumped actively aeoasto-optie Q-switched Ho：YAG ceramic laser. The maximum average output power of 35 W is obtained at a pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz from the Ho：YAG ceramic laser. Under the maximum incident pump power of Ho：YAG ceramic laser, the maximum output power of 14 W is obtained from the ZGP OPO, corresponding to the slope efficiency of 49.6% with respect to the incident pump power. The wavelength can be tuned from 3.5 μm to 4.2μm （signal）, corresponding to 5.24.1 μm （idler）. The beam quality M2 is less than 2.3 from the ZGP OPO.

Tunable, continuous-wave single-resonant optical parametric oscillator with output coupling for resonant wave

We present a continuous-wave singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator with 1.5% output coupling of the reso- nant signal wave, based on an angle-polished MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate （MgO：PPLN）, pumped by a commercial Nd：YVO4 laser at 1064 nm. The output-coupled optical parametric oscillator delivers a maximum total output power of 4.19 W with 42.8% extraction efficiency, across a tuning range of 1717 nm in the near- and mid-infrared region. This indicates improvements of 1.87 W in output power, 19.1% in extraction efficiency and 213 nm in tuning range exten- sion in comparison with the optical parametric oscillator with no output coupling, while at the expense of increasing the oscillation threshold by a factor of - 2. Moreover, it is confirmed that the finite output coupling also contributes to the reduction of the thermal effects in crystal.

Efficient continuous-wave eye-safe region signal output from intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We report an efficient continuous-wave （CW） tunable intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on the multi-period periodically poled lithium niobate and using a laser diode （LD） end-pumped CW 1064 nm Nd：YVO4 laser as the pump source. A highly efficiency CW operation is realized through a careful cavity design for mode matching and thermal stability. The signal tuning range is 1401 1500 nm obtained by varying the domain period. The maximum output power of 2.2 W at 1500 nm is obtained with a 17.1 W 808 nm LD power and the corresponding conversion efficiency is 12.9%.

Compact and tunable mid-infrared source based on a 2 μm dual-wavelength KTiOPO_4 intracavity optical parametric oscillator

Using a double resonant KTiOPO4 （KTP） intracavity optical parametric oscillator operating at degenerated point of 2 μm, we demonstrate a unique mid-infrared source based on difference frequency generation in GaSe crystal. The output tuning range is 8.42-19.52 μm, and a peak power of 834 W for type-Ⅰ phase matching scheme and 730 W for type-Ⅱ phase matching scheme are achieved. Experimental results show that this oscillator is a good alternative to the generator of a compact and tabletop mid-infrared radiation with a widely tunable range.

Tunable femtosecond laser in the visible range with an intracavity frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrated experimentally a synchronously pumped intracavity frequency-doubled femtosecond optical para- metric oscillator （OPO） using a periodically-poled lithium niobate （PPLN） as the nonlinear material in combination with a lithium triborate （LBO） as the doubling crystal. A Kerr-lens-mode-locked （KLM） Ti：sapphire oscillator at the wavelength of 790 nm was used as the pump source, which was capable of generating pulses with a duration as short as 117 fs. A tunable femtosecond laser covering the 624-672 nm range was realized by conveniently adjusting the OPO cavity length. A maximum average output power of 260 mW in the visible range was obtained at the pump power of 2.2 W, with a typical pulse duration of 205 fs assuming a sech2 pulse profile.

Fiber optical parametric oscillator based on photonic crystal fiber pumped with all-normal-dispersion mode-locked Yb:fiber laser

We demonstrate a cost effective, linearly tunable fiber optical parametric oscillator based on a home-made photonic crystal fiber pumped with a mode-locked ytterbium-doped fiber laser, providing linely tuning ranges from 1018 nm to 1038 nm for the idler wavelength and from 1097 nm to 1117 nm for the signal wavelength by tuning the pump wavelength and the cavity length. In order to obtain the desired fiber with a zero dispersion wavelength around 1060 rim, eight sam- ples of photonic crystal fibers with gradually changed structural parameters are fabricated for the reason that it is difficult to accurately customize the structural dimensions during fabrication. We verify the usability of the fabricated fiber experimen- tally via optical parametric generation and conclude a successful procedure of design, fabirication, and verification. A seed source of home-made all-normal-dispersion mode-locked ytterbium-doped fiber laser with 38.57 ps pulsewidth around the 1064 nm wavelength is used to pump the fiber optical parametric oscillator. The wide picosecond pulse pump laser enables a larger walk-off tolerance between the pump light and the oscillating light as well as a longer photonic crystal fiber of 20 m superior to the femtosecond pulse lasers, resulting in a larger parametric amplification and a lower threshold pump power of 15.8 dBm of the fiber optical parametric oscillator.

1-W,high-repetition-rate room temperature operation of mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled MgO-doped LiNbO

In this paper a high-repetition-rate mid-infrared （mid-IR） optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled MgO-doped LiNbO3 （PPMgLN） at room temperature was demonstrated. The maximum average mid-IR output power at 3.63μm was 1.02 W with the repetition rate of 60kHz and corresponding efficiency from the pump to the idler was 26.7%. The temperature tuning and the period tuning characteristics were also discussed.

Optimization of the idler wavelength tunable cascaded optical parametric oscillator based on chirp-assisted aperiodically poled lithium niobate crystal

We present the numerical results for the optimization of the pump-to-idler conversion efficiencies of nanosecond idler wavelength tunable cascaded optical parametric oscillators （OPO） in different wavelength tuning ranges, where the primary signals from the OPO process are recycled to enhance the pump-to-idler conversion efficiencies via the simultaneous dif- ference frequency generation （DFG） process by monolithic aperiodically poled, magnesium oxide doped lithium niobate （APMgLN） crystals. The APMgLN crystals are designed with different chirp parameters for the DFG process to broaden their thermal acceptance bandwidths to different extents. The idler wavelength tuning of the cascaded OPO is realized by changing the temperature of the designed APMgLN crystal and the cascaded oscillation is achieved in a single pump pass singly resonant linear cavity. The pump-to-idler conversion efficiencies with respect to the pump pulse duration and ratio of OPO coefficient to DFG coefficient are calculated by numerically solving the coupled wave equations. The optimal work- ing conditions of the tunable cascaded OPOs pumped by pulses with energies of 350 p_J and 700 ~J are compared to obtain the general rules of optimization. It is concluded that the optimization becomes the interplay between the ratio of OPO coefficient to DFG coefficient and the pump pulse duration when the idler wavelength tuning range and the pump pulse energy are fixed. Besides, higher pump pulse energy is beneficial for reaching higher optimal pump-to-idler conversion efficiency as long as the APMgLN crystal is optimized according to this pump condition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first numerical analysis of idler wavelength tunable cascaded OPOs based on chirp-assisted APMgLN crystals.