Patent · US Expired

Ti:sapphire-pumped high repetition rate femtosecond optical parametric oscillator

US5377043A · kind A · utility

27Cited by
25References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 8, 1993
Grant dateDec 27, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 8, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/39
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A broadly tunable femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on KTiOPO.sub.4 is externally pumped by a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. The laser is capable of continuous tuning from 1.2 micrometers to 1.37 micrometers in the signal branch and 1.8 to 2.15 micrometers in the idler branch, when using one set of OPO optics. Other optics expand the tuning range of the OPO from 1.0 micrometers to 2.75 micrometers, for example, by using three sets of mirrors and two different crystals. Without prisms in the OPO cavity, 215 mW of chirped pulses is generated in the signal branch, while 235 mW is generated in the idler branch. The total conversion efficiency, as measured by pump depletion, is 50%. With prisms in the cavity, nearly transform-limited pulses of 135 femtoseconds are generated, which can be shortened to 75 fs by increasing the output coupling.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.