Intracavity-doubled tunable optical parametric oscillator
AssigneeCornell Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsRandall J. Ellingson, Chung L. Tang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Ti:sapphire-pumped intracavity-doubled optical parametric oscillator generates up to 240 mW of sub100 femtosecond pulses tunable in the visible. The OPO consists of a 1.5 mm thick KTP crystal configured in a ring cavity which is synchronously pumped by a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. Intracavity doubling of the OPO is accomplished by inserting a .beta.-barium borate crystal into an additional focus in the OPO cavity. Continuous tuning of the second harmonic signal from 580 to 657 nm is obtained, with a potential tuning range being approximately 500 to 800 nm.
Claims16
A broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator, comprising:
- an oscillator ring cavity having a closed path which includes a first focus, a second focus and beam output means;
- a first nonlinear optical crystal located at said first focus of said cavity;
- a laser pumping source located externally of said cavity and producing a high repetition rate pulsed pump beam;
- means directing said pump beam onto a surface of said first crystal to synchronously pump said first crystal to generate corresponding high repetition rate pulsed idler and signal beams from said first crystal, a selected one of said idler and signal beams being directed along said cavity for oscillation therein;
- a second nonlinear optical crystal located at said second focus of said cavity;
- means in said cavity directing said selected one of said idler and signal beams onto a surface of said second crystal to generate a high repetition rate pulsed second output signal beam which is a second harmonic of said selected one of said idler and signal beams;
- and
- means directing at least a portion of said second harmonic beam to said beam output means to emit said second harmonic signal from said cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.