Energy scaling of a narrowband, periodically poled LiNbO3, nanosecond, nonresonant optical parametric oscillator.

We demonstrate that 3-mm-thick, periodically poled L i N b O 3 enables energy scaling of a nonresonant optical parametric oscillator operated in the narrowband mode with a volume Bragg grating at the signal wavelength. Utilizing the full available pump power at 1064 nm, we obtained maximum average powers of 2.25 and 2.08 W for the signal (1.922 µm) and idler (2.383 µm) pulses at 10 kHz, at a total conversion efficiency of 32.8%, which represents a fourfold increase in terms of peak powers over our previous work. The signal and idler spectral linewidths were ∼1n m, with pulse lengths of ∼6n s and an idler beam propagation factor of ∼5.

Narrowband, intracavity-pumped, type-II BaGa2GeSe6 optical parametric oscillator.

We present a tunable (6.62-11.34 µm), singly-resonant, cascade optical parametric oscillator with intracavity pumping of BaGa2GeSe6 in the second stage and spectral narrowing realized by a Volume Bragg Grating acting on the signal wave of the first stage which serves as a pump for the second stage. The maximum energy achieved near 8 µm in the narrowband regime is 1.1 mJ at 100 Hz (spectral width: ∼20 cm-1, pulse duration: ∼7 ns). The overall conversion efficiency from 1 to 8 µm for broadband and narrowband operation is 4.0% and 3.1%, respectively, corresponding to quantum efficiencies of 31% and 23%.

Compact dual-band spectral analysis via multiplexed rotated chirped volume Bragg gratings.

Chirped Bragg volume gratings (CBGs) offer a useful alternative for spectral analysis, but increasing the bandwidth necessitates increasing the device area. In contrast, recently developed rotated CBGs (r-CBGs), in which the Bragg structure is rotated by 45° with respect to the device facets, require increasing only the device length to extend the bandwidth, in addition to the convenience of resolving the spectrum at normal incidence. Here, we multiplex r-CBGs in the same device to enable spectral analysis in two independent spectral windows without increasing the system volume. This new, to the best of our knowledge, device, which we term an X-CBG, allows for compact multi-band spectroscopy in contiguous or separated spectral windows for the visible and near-infrared applications in nonlinear microscopy and material identification and sensing.

Ultra-compact synthesis of space-time wave packets.

Space-time wave packets (STWPs) are pulsed fields in which a strictly prescribed association between the spatial and temporal frequencies yields surprising and useful behavior. However, STWPs to date have been synthesized using bulky free-space optical systems that require precise alignment. We describe a compact system that makes use of a novel optical component: a chirped volume Bragg grating that is rotated by 45° with respect to the plane-parallel device facets. By virtue of this grating's unique structure, cascaded gratings resolve and recombine the spectrum without free-space propagation or collimation. We produce STWPs by placing a phase plate that spatially modulates the resolved spectrum between such cascaded gratings, with a device volume of 25 × 25 × 8 mm3, which is orders-of-magnitude smaller than previous arrangements.

Rotated chirped volume Bragg gratings for compact spectral analysis.

We introduce a new, to the best of our knowledge, optical component-a rotated chirped volume Bragg grating (r-CBG)-that spatially resolves the spectrum of a normally incident light beam in a compact footprint and without the need for subsequent free-space propagation or collimation. Unlike conventional chirped volume Bragg gratings in which both the length and width of the device must be increased to increase the bandwidth, by rotating the Bragg structure we sever the link between the length and width of a r-CBG, leading to a significantly reduced device footprint for the same bandwidth. We fabricate and characterize such a device in multiple spectral windows, we study its spectral resolution, and confirm that a pair of cascaded r-CBGs can resolve and then recombine the spectrum. Such a device can lead to ultracompact spectrometers and pulse modulators.

Full-color eye-box expansion via holographic volume gratings recorded in photo-thermo-refractive glass.

Conventional head-up displays (HUDs) suffer from a limited exit pupil and a lack of compactness mainly due to the use of bulky optics. HUDs need a high-quality image with a large field of view (FOV) in small packaging to gain commercial acceptability. Holographic HUDs are phase-only devices that allow vision correction and focus adjustment while having a wide FOV. However, the limited bandwidth of a spatial light modulator (SLM) imposes a trade-off between the FOV and eye-box size. Combining a holographic system with an image-replicating element eliminates such a tradeoff. For image replication, we designed and fabricated a compact 2D diffractive beam splitter formed from two perpendicular volume gratings operating in the Raman-Nath regime. The gratings were recorded holographically in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass, with optimized index modulation, thickness, and period to provide uniform intensity distribution across all desired orders for the fundamental red, green and blue (RGB) colors. We demonstrated a full-color holographic projection with an eye-box expanded by the designed 2D diffractive beam splitters.

Intracavity spatial mode conversion by holographic phase masks.

Past beam-shaping techniques, developed to transform a Gaussian beam into other waveforms, rely on a wide selection of available tools ranging from physical apertures, diffractive optical elements, phase masks, free-form optics to spatial light modulators. However, these devices - whether active or passive - do not address the underlying monochromatic nature of their embedded phase profiles, while being hampered by the complex, high-cost manufacturing process and a restrictive laser-induced damage threshold. Recently, a new type of passive phase devices for beam transformation - referred to as holographic phase masks (HPMs), was developed to address these critical shortcomings. In this work, we demonstrated the first integration of HPMs into a laser cavity for the generation of arbitrary spatial modes. Our approach allowed for different phase patterns to be embedded into the outputs of a laser system, while preserving the spatial structure of its intracavity beams. The optical system further possessed a unique ability to simultaneously emit distinct spatial modes into separate beampaths, owning to the multiplexing capability of HPMs. We also confirmed the achromatic nature of these HPMs in a wavelength-tunable cavity, contrary to other known passive or active beam-shaping tools. The achromatism of HPMs, coupled to their ability to withstand up to kW level of average power, makes possible future developments in high-power broadband sources, capable of generating light beams with arbitrary phase distribution covering any desirable spectral regions from near ultraviolet to near infrared.

An ultra-narrow linewidth solution-processed organic laser.

Optically pumped lasers based on solution-processed thin-film gain media have recently emerged as low-cost, broadly tunable, and versatile active photonics components that can fit any substrate and are useful for, e.g., chemo- or biosensing or visible spectroscopy. Although single-mode operation has been demonstrated in various resonator architectures with a large variety of gain media-including dye-doped polymers, organic semiconductors, and, more recently, hybrid perovskites-the reported linewidths are typically on the order of a fraction of a nanometer or broader, i.e., the coherence lengths are no longer than a few millimeters, which does not enable high-resolution spectroscopy or coherent sensing. The linewidth is fundamentally constrained by the short photon cavity lifetime in the standard resonator geometries. We demonstrate here a novel structure for an organic thin-film solid-state laser that is based on a vertical external cavity, wherein a holographic volume Bragg grating ensures both spectral selection and output coupling in an otherwise very compact (∼cm3) design. Under short-pulse (0.4 ns) pumping, Fourier-transform-limited laser pulses are obtained, with a full width at half-maximum linewidth of 900 MHz (1.25 pm). Using 20-ns-long pump pulses, the linewidth can be further reduced to 200 MHz (0.26 pm), which is four times above the Fourier limit and corresponds to an unprecedented coherence length of 1 m. The concept is potentially transferrable to any type of thin-film laser and can be ultimately made tunable; it also represents a very compact alternative to bulky grating systems in dye lasers.

Thermal effects in thin-film organic solid-state lasers.

With the recent development of organic solid-state lasers (OSSLs) architectures enabling power scaling and progresses towards continuous-wave operation, the question of thermal effects now arises in OSSLs. In this paper, a Rhodamine 640-PMMA based vertical external cavity surface emitting organic laser is investigated. A thermal microscope is used to record temperature maps at the organic thin film surface during laser action; those maps are compared with time-resolved finite element thermal simulations. The measured and simulated peak temperature rises are in good accordance and are shown to remain below 10 K in standard operating conditions, showing a negligible impact on performance. The validated model is used to investigate typical OSSL structures from the literature, in a virtual high average power regime, and up to the CW regime. It is shown that whenever true CW organic lasing will be realized, significant thermal effects will have to be considered and properly managed.

Diode-pumped Pr:BaY2F8 continuous-wave orange laser.

We report the realization of the continuous wave laser emission in the orange at 607 nm from a Pr:BaY(2)F(8) (Pr:BYF) crystal pumped by a blue GaN laser diode. A maximal output power of 78 mW is obtained in a quasi-single transverse mode beam. The effect of reabsorption losses at the laser wavelength is also evidenced.

Frequency stabilization at the kilohertz level of a continuous intracavity frequency-doubled singly resonant optical parametric oscillator.

A continuous intracavity frequency-doubled singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is stabilized to the side of the transmission peak of a medium finesse Fabry-Perot cavity. The narrow bandwidth of the frequency noise of this OPO allows this simple scheme to lead to a stability of a few kilohertz with respect to the locking etalon. The system, operating in the visible domain, remains locked for more than 1 h.