Sum frequency generation using an optical parametric oscillator
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Aculight Corp., Bellevue, WA (United States)
A number of applications would benefit from sources of tunable coherent ultraviolet (uv) radiation in the 250 to 400 nm range. Among these are uv fluorescence laser detection and ranging (LIDAR). Other applications such as photolithography could use a fixed-frequency solid-state equivalent to excimer lasers. Broad tunability in this wavelength region has generally been accessed by frequency doubling tunable visible or near infrared lasers or by frequency mixing these lasers with the harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser. Unfortunately, to cover the full wavelength range requires multiple dye changes and/or multiple nonlinear crystals because of the relatively narrow tuning range of any one laser medium. The use of optical parametric oscillators (OPO`s) with their wide tuning range as a tunable source of near infrared light coupled with a single {beta}-barium borate (BBO) crystal for sum frequency mixing with the Nd:YAG harmonics should yield a convenient alternative to cover this wavelength range. In this paper we demonstrate that an OPO can be efficiently sum frequency mixed with the Nd:YAG harmonics to produce tunable uv radiation in the 250--400 nm range. This is significant because OPO`s generally have poor beam quality which limits their nonlinear conversion in critically phase matched processes. Specifically, we have mixed the 780 nm signal beam from a potassium tytanyl phosphate (KTP) OPO with the second harmonic from a Nd:YAG laser in BBO converting up to 50% of the OPO photons into 316 nm photons. We have also demonstrated the generation of narrow bandwidth 248 nm by mixing 827 nm from the OPO with the third harmonic of the Nd:YAG.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 10103483
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-93-2206C; CONF-940226-2; ON: DE94001827; BR: GB0103012
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. advanced solid-state lasers meeting,Salt Lake City, UT (United States),7-10 Feb 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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