Optical parametric oscillator generates continuously tunable 6–14-µm output

Sept. 1, 1997

Researchers have generated continuously tunable output in the 6–14-µm atmospheric transmission window with a silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe2) optical parametric oscillator (OPO).

LFW Staff

Researchers led by Suresh Chandra and Toomas H. Allik of Science Applications International Corp. (McLean, VA) have generated continuously tunable output in the 6–14-µm atmospheric transmission window with a silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe₂) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). When pumped by the 1.57-µm signal of a Nd:YAG-pumped noncritically phased-matched potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) OPO, the angle-tuned AgGaSe₂ OPO yielded the tunable output at energies up to 1.2 mJ/pulse with bandwidths of about 5 cm^-1 (FWHM) using a 6.5 × 6.5 × 35.3-mm-long type I AgGaSe₂ crystal.

The team demonstrated the usefulness of the idler output from the OPO as an optical source for a double-beam infrared spectrophotometer by obtaining the 6–12-µm spectrum of polystyrene. Government funding agencies are "very much interested in commercializing this technology," said Chandra, noting the potential of such OPOs to provide 8–12-µm output for lidar applications that are hampered by the gaps and depth resolution of CO₂ laser pulses.

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LFW Staff

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