Abstract

Quasi-phase-matched (QPM) nonlinear materials have had a profound impact on continuous-wave (cw) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). In particular, the advent of periodically-poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) has enabled the realization of novel cw OPOs for wavelength regions from ~1 μm to the absorption edge of the material near ~5 μm. For spectral generation below 1 μm, the use of PPLN is precluded by photorefractive damage, and so the development of practical cw OPOs for the visible to near-infrared (near-IR), particularly in high-power singly-resonant oscillator (SRO) configurations, necessitates the search for alternative QPM materials.

© 2007 IEEE