Broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10014652-B2
Application number	US-201414501460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2014
Priority date	Jan 22, 2010
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A novel broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator is described for use in numerous applications including multi-photon microscopy. The optical parametric oscillator includes at least one sub-picosecond laser pump source configured to output a pump signal having a wavelength of about 650 nm or less and at least one type II optical parametric oscillator in optical communication with the pump source and configured to generate a single widely tunable pulsed optical signal. In one application, an optical system is in optical communication with the optical parametric oscillator and configured to direct at least a portion of the optical signal to a specimen, and at least one analyzing device is configured to receive a signal from the specimen in response to the optical signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrafast laser system, comprising:
a Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to receive at least one sub-picosecond pump signal having a wavelength of 600 nm or less and generate at least one sub-picosecond optical signal continuously tunable from about 650 nm to about 1400 nm with the output emitted from a single output port;
an optical system in optical communication with the sub-picosecond oscillator and configured to direct the optical signal through the output port to a specimen; and
at least one analyzing device configured to receive at least one specimen signal from the specimen in response to the optical signal.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the optical parametric oscillator includes at least one Type II optical crystal selected from the group consisting of LBO, BBO, BiBO, PPLN, PPSLT, PPKTP, KTiOPO 4 , LBO, LiB 3 O 5 , and CsLiB 6 O 10 .

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the oscillator includes at least one broadband mirror.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the laser system includes at least one dispersion compensation device.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located within the oscillator.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the dispersion compensation device comprises at least one matched mirror pair.

7. The device of claim 4 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located outside the oscillator.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the dispersion compensation device is configured to receive the optical signal from the oscillator and output a compensated optical signal to the optical system.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the dispersion compensation device includes at least one device selected from the group consisting of prisms, gratings, grisms, Gires-Tournois interferometers, Dazzlers, electro-optic pulse shapers, and chirped mirrors.

10. An ultrafast laser system, comprising:
a Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to receive at least one sub-picosecond pump signal having a wavelength of 600 nm or less and a pulse duration of 300 fs or less, the Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to generate at least one sub-picosecond optical signal continuously tunable from about 680 nm to about 1300 nm with the output emitted from a single output port;
an optical system in optical communication with the sub-picosecond oscillator and configured to direct the optical signal through the output port to a specimen; and
at least one analyzing device configured to receive at least one specimen signal from the specimen in response to the optical signal.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the optical parametric oscillator includes at least one Type II optical crystal selected from the group consisting of LBO, BBO, BiBO, PPLN, PPSLT, PPKTP, KTiOPO4, LBO, LiB3O5, and CsLiB6O10.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein the oscillator includes at least one broadband mirror.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein the laser system includes at least one dispersion compensation device.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located within the oscillator.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the dispersion compensation device comprises at least one matched mirror pair.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located outside the oscillator.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the dispersion compensation device is configured to receive the optical signal from the oscillator and output a compensated optical signal to the optical system.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the dispersion compensation device includes at least one device selected from the group consisting of prisms, gratings, grisms, Gires-Tournois interferometers, Dazzlers, electro-optic pulse shapers, and chirped mirrors.

19. An ultrafast laser system, comprising:
a Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to receive at least one sub-picosecond pump signal having a wavelength of 600 nm or less and a pulse duration of 300 fs or less, the Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to generate at least one sub-picosecond optical signal continuously tunable from about 700 nm to about 1300 nm with the output emitted from a single output port;
an optical system in optical communication with the sub-picosecond oscillator and configured to direct the optical signal through the output port to a specimen; and
at least one analyzing device configured to receive at least one specimen signal from the specimen in response to the optical signal.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the optical parametric oscillator includes at least one Type II optical crystal selected from the group consisting of LBO, BBO, BiBO, PPLN, PPSLT, PPKTP, KTiOPO4, LBO, LiB3O5, and CsLiB6O10.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein the oscillator includes at least one broadband mirror.

22. The device of claim 19 wherein the laser system includes at least one dispersion compensation device.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located within the oscillator.

24. The device of claim 22 wherein the dispersion compensation device comprises at least one matched mirror pair.

25. The device of claim 22 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located outside the oscillator.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the dispersion compensation device is configured to receive the optical signal from the oscillator and output a compensated optical signal to the optical system.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein the dispersion compensation device includes at least one device selected from the group consisting of prisms, gratings, grisms, Gires-Tournois interferometers, Dazzlers, electro-optic pulse shapers, and chirped mirrors.

28. An ultrafast laser system, comprising:
a Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to receive at least one sub-picosecond pump signal having a wavelength of 600 nm or less and a pulse duration of 300 fs or less, the Type II subpicosecond optical parametric oscillator configured to generate at least one sub-picosecond optical signal continuously tunable from about 850 nm to about 1200 nm with the output emitted from a single output port;
an optical system in optical communication with the sub-picosecond oscillator and configured to direct the optical signal through the output port to a specimen; and
at least one analyzing device configured to receive at least one specimen signal from the specimen in response to the optical signal.

29. The device of claim 28 wherein the optical parametric oscillator includes at least one Type II optical crystal selected from the group consisting of LBO, BBO, BiBO, PPLN, PPSLT, PPKTP, KTiOPO4, LBO, LiB3O5, and CsLiB6O10.

30. The device of claim 28 wherein the oscillator includes at least one broadband mirror.

31. The device of claim 28 wherein the laser system includes at least one dispersion compensation device.

32. The device of claim 31 wherein the dispersion compensation device is located within the oscillator.

33. The device of claim 31 wherein the dispersion compensation device comprises at least one matched mirror pair.

34. The device of claim 31 wherein the d

Assignees

• Newport Corp

Inventors

• Kafka James D
• Clark James
• Chien Ching-Yuan
• Deng Yujun
• Florean Andrei C
• Spence David E

Classifications

• H01S3/0057

  Temporal shaping, e.g. pulse compression, frequency chirping (soliton generation and propagation G02F1/3513, H01S3/063 and H01S3/108) · CPC title

• H01S3/0014

  Monitoring arrangements not otherwise provided for (photometry G01J1/00, e.g. G01J1/4257; radiation pyrometry G01J5/00; measuring coherence of light G01J9/00; measuring wavelength of light G01J9/00, e.g. G01J9/0246; measuring optical pulses G01J11/00; calorimetrically measuring power of laser beams G01K17/003) · CPC title

• G01N21/39

  using tunable lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/1118

  Semiconductor saturable absorbers, e.g. semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors [SESAMs]; Solid-state saturable absorbers, e.g. carbon nanotube [CNT] based · CPC title

• H01S3/005

  Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping (shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B) · CPC title