Abstract
The potential of the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) as a practical spectroscopic source has traditionally been frustrated by spectral bandwidth limitations, low optical damage thresholds and complicated wavelength control methods. The performance and reliability of OPOs has improved markedly with the availability of high-quality pump laser sources and of new nonlinear optical materials, such as ß-barium borate (BBO).[1,2] This yields enhanced OPO conversion efficiency and output power over a wide tuning range. For instance, we have shown[3] that a BBO OPO, pumped by pulsed 355-nm radiation from a single-mode injection-seeded Nd:YAG laser, can attain a total (signal + idler) output pulse energy of ≥ 100 mJ throughout the tuning range 430 nm - 2.0 μm, with maximum conversion efficiency >60%.
© 1992 IQEC
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