Ultra-broadband optical parametric generation and simultaneous RGB generation in periodically poled lithium niobate (original) (raw)
Related papers
Applied Physics B, 2008
Collinear broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) using periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals were designed and experimentally demonstrated with the quasi-phase matching (QPM) periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm. The broad gain bandwidth was accomplished by choosing a specific set of the period and the pump wavelength that allows the group velocities of the signal and the idler to match close to the degeneracy point. OPG gain bandwidth and also the spectral region could be controlled by proper design of QPM period and pump wavelength. The total OPG gain bandwidth of 600, 900, and 1200 nm was observed for the PPLN devices with QPM periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm, respectively. We have also observed multiple color visible generation whenever the OPG spectrum was significantly broad. From the visible peaks of the three PPLN samples, it is found that broad gain bandwidth is crucial in the temperature-insensitive collinear simultaneous RGB generation from a single crystal.
Indirectly-seeded optical parametric generation in periodically poled lithium niobate
Frontiers in Optics, 2003
We report a technique for injection-seeding optical parametric generation (OPG) in periodically poled lithium niobate in which the wavelength of the seed is neither that of the signal nor of the idler waves; instead, it is the wavelength resulting from the sum-frequency mixing of the pump and signal waves. We show that pulsed OPG can be appropriately seeded in this way even if the sum-frequency process is not quasi-phasematched if a pulsed laser is used as a seed, and if it is quasi-phase-matched even a low power (15 mW) HeNe beam can substantially reduce the bandwidth of the generated signal wave. all solid-state narrow bandwidth optical parametric oscillator and its applications to the high resolution spectroscopy of free radicals," J.
Pulsed nanosecond optical parametric generator based on periodically poled lithium niobate
Optics Communications, 2003
In this paper we report on a pulsed nanosecond optical parametric generator (OPG) of congruent periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN). The OPG is excited by TEM 00 single frequency pulses (duration: 10 ns, repetition rate: 10 kHz) of a Q-switched Nd:YVO 4 laser system. With 7.2 W of average power the OPG generated 1.6 W of signal and 0.76 W of idler radiation. The signal and idler waves are tunable in the range of 1.56-1.64 and 3.34-3.03 lm, respectively, by changing the temperature of the PPLN crystal. Injection seeding with 3 mW of cw 1.580 lm light of a tunable DFB diode laser narrowed the spectral width of the OPG signal wave to less than 140 MHz.
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 2004
We conducted a series of passively-switched Nd:YAG laser pumped optical parametric generation, amplification, and oscillation experiments in monolithic periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals. Double-pass optical parametric generation with an effective gain length of 10 cm in a PPLN crystal was performed in comparison with single-pass operation in the same crystal. By seeding a PPLN optical parametric amplifier with a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser, we produced 200-ps transform-limited laser pulses at 1549.6 nm and observed parametric gain competition at different pump levels. For optical parametric oscillations, we first demonstrated 22% power efficiency from a 2.4-cm intrinsic-cavity PPLN optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 4.2-ns, 10-kW passively-switched Nd:YAG laser. Preliminary studies on DFB optical parametric oscillators in PPLN are mentioned. The temporal and spectral properties of these optical parametric generators, amplifiers, and oscillators are characterized and discussed.
Applied Optics, 1999
We report on a rugged all-solid-state laser source of near-IR radiation in the range of 1461-1601 nm based on a high-power Nd:YVO 4 laser that is mode locked by a semiconductor saturable Bragg reflector as the pump source of a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator with a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. The system produces 34-ps pulses with a high repetition rate of 235 MHz and an average output power of 1 W. The relatively long pulses lead to wide cavity detuning tolerances. The comparatively narrow spectral bandwidth of Ͻ15 GHz is suitable for applications such as pollutant detection.
Femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate
Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 1998
We describe a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate and pumped by a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. Signal and idler outputs almost continuously tunable from 975 nm to 4.55 m were generated by a combination of grating tuning and cavity-length tuning, and an explanation of the tuning properties is given in terms of the gain bandwidth. A threshold of 45 mW was measured and, in the absence of optimized output coupling, signal powers of 90 mW and idler powers of 70 mW were obtained, with 140 mW of green light at 540 nm generated by phase-matched frequency doubling of the signal. Dispersion compensation produced near-transform-limited signal pulses of duration 140 fs. Observations regarding temperature tuning and pump depletion are also presented.
2007
Efficient wavelength conversion is an attractive approach for obtaining coherent radiation in regions of the spectrum where lasers are unavailable or impractical. Optical signal processing in WDM networks, optical-CDMA communications, and quantum communication are examples of applications that can utilize efficient nonlinear frequency conversion at low power levels. Lithium niobate (LN) is a very promising material for the purpose, because it has a mature crystal-growth process, wide transparency range, large second-order nonlinear coefficient, and allows quasi-phasematching via periodic poling (PP). Waveguides enable efficient conversion at low powers and can be formed via reverse proton-exchange. Precise modeling of both the fabrication process and the properties of the resulting waveguides is thus necessary for the demonstration of high-density optical integrated circuits. This dissertation presents a complete fabrication model that accurately predicts the nonlinear diffusion of protons in PPLN as well as the dispersion of the waveguides between 450 and 4000 nm. Using this model, waveguides are fabricated for two experiments: efficient generation of 3-4-µm radiation for spectroscopy via difference frequency generation using two near-IR lasers; and parametric amplification of 1.57-µm seed signal radiation for remote wind sensing using a 1.064-µm pump laser. The waveguides are fabricated in conventional congruent-composition LN. Photorefractive damage (PRD) and green-induced infrared absorption (GRIIRA) limit the generated output power in these devices at room temperature due to the presence of high-intensity visible light. Resistance to PRD and GRIIRA can be achieved by heavy doping with Mg 2+ , or by using crystals with stoichiometric composition. PRD-resistant, bulk near-stoichiometric lithium niobate (SLN) was fabricated by vaportransport equilibration (VTE) of originally congruent lithium niobate wafers with light MgO (0.3-1 mol%) doping. Details of the poling process and the dependence of photorefractive properties on crystal composition are presented. We obtained periodic poling down to a v period of 7 µm and achieved 2 W at 532 nm via second harmonic generation in a 0.3 mol-% VTE-MgO:LiNbO 3 bulk crystal at room-temperature. These breakthroughs will enable efficient tunable radiation from the visible to the mid-IR for a variety of applications. vi bringing me up the way I am, for being supportive of my interest in physics, and for the sacrifices they have made to help me pursue my interests all the way to Stanford. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Katerina and my daughter Kalina for loving me and making my life wonderful.
Optics Letters, 1999
We fabricated and characterized periodically poled lithium niobate monolithic optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) and generators. The compact monolithic devices were trivial to align and operate and provided widely tunable, nearly diffraction-limited, stable output pulses. Low thresholds and high conversion efficiencies were obtained when the devices were pumped with 3.5-ns 1.064-mm pulses. In addition, the monolithic OPO devices exhibited broad tuning by crystal rotation through noncollinear phase matching. The bandwidth-broadening effects exhibited in the noncollinear phase-matching geometry were measured and explained.
Broadband and off-axis optical parametric generation in periodically poled LiNbO< sub> 3
JOSA B, 2004
A model is presented that includes broadband, off-axis light generation for parametric downconversion processes. We apply this to parametric generation with material parameters adapted for periodically poled lithium niobate; our simulations are compared with experimental results. Our simulations explore the competition between on-axis and off-axis signal generation. With a broad-area pump, we find that a shorter crystal is more effective at suppressing off-axis signal generation.