ALL-SOLID-STATE OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR FOR THE VISIBLE

An all-solid-state optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with signal and idler waves tunable over the ranges 481-457 and 1355-1590 nm, respectively, has been developed. Radiation at 1064 nm from a diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG laser (delivering 10-mJ Q-switched pulses of 18-ns duration at rates of 10-100 Hz) is frequency tripled at efficiencies near 30% and then used to pump the lithium triborate OPO, thus an all-solid-state configuration is realized. Oscillation thresholds (0.4 mJ), pump depletions (50%), external efficiencies (27%), and temperature-tuning rates (signal -0.11 nm/degrees-C, idler +0.87 nm/degrees-C) for the OPO are reported.