A NARROW-BANDWIDTH OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR

A narrow-bandwidth, singly resonant, picosecond optical parametric osc illator based on a non-critical phase-matched lithium triborate crysta l and synchronously pumped by the second-harmonic of a Nd:YLF laser mo de-locked at 76 MHz is described. An intracavity birefringent filter r educes the spectral bandwidth and allows fast scanning of the output w avelength within the phase-matched bandwidth. A signal output of 1.6 W in Fourier transform limited pulses with a duration of 22 ps and a ba ndwidth of 0.06 nm has been obtained. The signal and idler wavelengths were tunable from 750 to 930 nm and from 1220 to 1770 nm, respectivel y. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.