A high-power continuous-wave mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator module

Abstract

We demonstrate here a compact optical parametric oscillator module for mid-infrared generation via nonlinear frequency conversion. This module weighs only 2.5 kg and fits within a small volume of 220 × 60 × 55 mm3. The module can be easily aligned to various pump laser sources, and here we use a 50 W ytterbium (Yb)-doped fiber laser as an example. With a two-channel MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal (MgO:PPLN), our module covers a tuning range of 2416.17-2932.25 nm and 3142.18-3452.15 nm. The highest output power exceeds 10.4Wat 2.7 μm, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 24%. The measured power stability is 2.13% Root Meat Square (RMS) for a 10 h duration under outdoor conditions.