Breakthroughs in Photonics 2012: Breakthroughs in Optical Parametric Oscillators

Abstract

The latest breakthroughs in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) for the generation of tunable coherent radiation from the continuous-wave to femtosecond timescales are presented. Advancement of novel device concepts, development of phase-coherent and broadband frequency combs, and expansion of wavelength coverage of OPOs to new limits toward the visible and mid-IR are the main focus of the review.

Keywords

• Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs)
• nonlinear materials
• frequency conversion
• tunable lasers
• visible lasers
• mid-infrared lasers