Abstract

The optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is an excellent source of tunable, ultrashort pulses. With wide tunability and the possibility of cw operation, the synchronously pumped OPO will be useful for a number of applications. The nonlinear crystal lithium triborate (LBO) exhibits ideal properties for use in an OPO, offering a continuous tuning range from the near UV into the IR. Furthermore, it possesses a high optical damage threshold, wide acceptance bandwidth, large nonlinear coefficient, as well as noncritical phase matching (NCPM) and temperature tunability. Recently, the advances in performance of diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser systems, particularly in the development of seIf-mode- locking techniques for ultrashort pulse generation, has facilitated their use as an OPO pump source. By employing the techniques of additive pulse mode-locking (APM) and second harmonic generation in a resonant enhancement cavity, we have developed a cw mode-locked, synchronously pumped, all- solid-state LBO OPO (Ref. 1).

© 1993 Optical Society of America