LIB3O5 OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR PUMPED BY A Q-SWITCHED FREQUENCY-DOUBLED ALL-SOLID-STATE LASER

We demonstrate the efficient operation of a pulsed doubly resonant LiB 3O5 optical parametric oscillator pumped at 523.5 nm with a frequency- doubled all-solid-state Q-switched Nd:YLF laser. The threshold energy density at a signal wavelength of 976 nm was found to be 14 J/cm2 in p ulses of 16-ns duration, and internal efficiencies as high as 45% were observed at approximately three times threshold. The optical paramete r oscillator could be continuously tuned from 924 to 1208 nm in the ne ar infrared.