Periodically poled lithium niobate monolithic nanosecond optical parametric oscillators and generators

We fabricated and characterized periodically poled lithium niobate monolithic optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) and generators. The compact monolithic devices were trivial to align and operate and provided widely tunable, nearly diffraction-limited, stable output pulses. Low thresholds and high conversion efficiencies were obtained when the devices were pumped with 3.5-ns 1.064-mu m pulses. In addition, the monolithic OPO devices exhibited broad tuning by crystal rotation through noncollinear phase matching. The bandwidth-broadening effects exhibited in the noncollinear phase-matching geometry were measured and explained. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America.