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A picosecond near-infrared laser source based on a self-seeded optical parametric generator

Applied Physics B volume 112, pages 521–527 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

We report on the design and development of a new type of near-IR laser source. The source comprises of an optical parametric generator (OPG) and a second harmonic generator (SHG) pumped by an 80-MHz, 1064-nm, 7-ps Nd:YVO4 laser. The OPG is self-seeded with a fraction of its own signal output, which significantly enhances its conversion efficiency. The SHG doubles the frequency of OPG signal to produce a coherent output. The final output beam has a tunable wavelength near 800 nm, an average power of over 1 W, and a pulse duration around 5 ps. The M2-factor of the output beam can reach 1.1 after spatial filtering. With the new laser source, we have successfully demonstrated coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy on 1 μm polystyrene beads, which shows that it has the potential to be a substitute for a picosecond optical parametric oscillator in certain microscopy or spectroscopy applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NUS FoS Tier 1 Grant (R144000236133) and NUS Young Investigator Award (R144000284101).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117542, Singapore

    Paul Kumar Upputuri & Haifeng Wang

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  1. Paul Kumar Upputuri
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  2. Haifeng Wang
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Correspondence to Haifeng Wang.

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Upputuri, P.K., Wang, H. A picosecond near-infrared laser source based on a self-seeded optical parametric generator. Appl. Phys. B 112, 521–527 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-013-5434-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-013-5434-1

Keywords

  • Pump Power
  • Second Harmonic Generator
  • Polarization Beam Splitter
  • Second Harmonic
  • Periodically Pole Lithium Niobate