Development of High Average Power Nonlinear Frequency Conversion Devices

摘要

This program developed microstructured nonlinear optical materials and quasi-phasematched devices based on those materials. The two material systems investigated, periodically-poled ferroelectrics, especially lithium niobate (PPLN), and orientation-patterned GaAs (OP-GaAs) enable nonlinear interactions impossible in conventional nonlinear media. This work included the generation of the shortest blue light pulse then reported (5,4 fs), demonstration of orientation patterned GaAs (OP-GaAs), a mid-IR analog for PPLN operating to wavelengths > 12 micrometers with 10 times larger nonlinear figure of merit than PPLN, vapor transport synthesis of stoichiometric lithium tantalate (with no measurable room-temperature photorefractive damage), chirped- pulse parametric amplifiers generating millijoule ultrafast pulses in a simple single-pass configuration, guided-wave frequency mixers with efficiencies of 3000%/W, enabling demonstration of extreme phenomena such as 99% pump depleted SHG (with only 900 mW pump power), and optical parametric generators with 300 pJ thresholds. Significant projects seeded by the work in this program have been spun off as industry-supported projects. In particular optical signal processing devices for communications based on the waveguide mixers, and IRCM applications of the OP-GaAs.