SUM-FREQUENCY GENERATION OF CONTINUOUS-WAVE LIGHT AT 194 NM

Over 2 mW of continuous-wave tunable 194-nm light is produced by sum-f requency mixing approximately 500 mW of 792-nm and 500 mW of 257-nm ra diation in beta-barium berate (BBO). The powers in both fundamental be ams are enhanced in separate ring cavities whose optical paths overlap in the Brewster-cut BBO crystal. Due to the higher circulating fundam ental powers, the sum-frequency-generated power is nearly 2 orders of magnitude greater than previously reported values. (C) 1997 Optical So ciety of America.