Photonics (Oct 2023)

Compact Diode-Pumped Solid-State Laser with Intracavity Pump-Enhanced DFG Emitting at ~3.5 Microns

  • Liam G. K. Flannigan,
  • Ali Atwi,
  • Tyler Kashak,
  • Daniel Poitras,
  • Chang-Qing Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10101164
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 10
p. 1164

Abstract

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We report a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser used for intracavity pump-enhanced difference frequency generation (DFG) to create a 3.5-micron laser. Using a 50 mm-long periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal inside the cavity of an Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser at 1064 nm with 4.5 W pump power at 808 nm, and a 310 mW C-band signal at 1529 nm, up to 31 mW of mid-infrared output power at 3499 nm is obtained. The cavity requires no active stabilization and/or locking, and the entire cavity is −1, which is the highest value reported to date for continuous-wave DFG based on a bulk nonlinear optical crystal with no active stabilization. Potential future applications in free-space optical communication are also discussed.

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