Tunable femtosecond optical parametric oscillators resonating at 0.65-1.02 µm and 1.07-2.3 µm.

Abstract

We present a singly resonant femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) cavity architecture supporting ultra-broadband wavelength tuning and efficient outcoupling of the generated optical pulses. Experimentally, we demonstrate an OPO with its oscillating wavelength tuned over 652-1017 nm and 1075-2289 nm, spanning nearly 1.8 octaves. This is, as far as we know, the widest resonant-wave tuning range obtained from a green-pumped OPO. We show that intracavity dispersion management is crucial for the stationary and single-band operation of such a broadband wavelength tuning system. This architecture is universal, and therefore can be extended to allow the oscillation and ultra-broadband tuning of OPOs at various spectral regions.