High power pumped MID-IR wavelength devices using nonlinear frequency mixing (NFM)
US6229828A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 8, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/3558
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Laser diode pumped mid-IR wavelength sources include at least one high power, near-IR wavelength, injection and/or sources wherein one or both of such sources may be tunable providing a pump wave output beam to a quasi-phase matched (QPM) nonlinear frequency mixing (NFM) device. The NFM device may be a difference frequency mixing (DFM) device or an optical parametric oscillation (OPO) device. Wavelength tuning of at least one of the sources advantageously provides the ability for optimizing pump or injection wavelengths to match the QPM properties of the NFM device enabling a broad range of mid-IR wavelength selectivity. Also, pump powers are gain enhanced by the addition of a rare earth amplifier or oscillator, or a Raman/Brillouin amplifier or oscillator between the high power source and the NFM device. Further, polarization conversion using Raman or Brillouin wavelength shifting is provided to optimize frequency conversion efficiency in the NFM device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.