High efficiency fiber optical parametric oscillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9684223-B2
Application number	US-201514616531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

An optical apparatus that includes an optical source that generates a first optical pulse with a first optical wavelength. The optical apparatus also includes an optical amplifier that outputs an amplified pulse. The optical apparatus also includes a first waveguide that is connected to the optical amplifier and a second waveguide. Wherein the second waveguide converts the energy of the amplified pulse into energy of a second pulse that has a second optical wavelength different from the first optical wavelength. Wherein, the following equation is satisfied: L_min≦L≦π/γP. In which a length of the first waveguide is L, a nonlinear coefficient of the first waveguide is γ, a peak power of the amplified pulse as it is received by the first waveguide is P, and a minimum length of the first waveguide is L_min or L is equal to zero.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical apparatus comprising:
an optical source that generates a first pulse with a first optical wavelength;
an optical amplifier that amplifies the first pulse and outputs an amplified pulse with the first optical wavelength;
a first waveguide that is connected to the optical amplifier which receives the amplified pulse;
a second waveguide that is connected to the first waveguide and receives the amplified pulse, wherein the second waveguide converts the energy of the amplified pulse into energy of a second pulse while a relative center position of the second pulse for the amplified pulse is crossing a center position of the amplified pulse in a first direction, wherein the second pulse has a second optical wavelength different from the first optical wavelength;
wherein the amplifier, the first waveguide, and the second waveguide form an optical loop which feeds the second pulse back to the amplifier, the first waveguide, and the second waveguide;
an output coupler to output a portion of the second pulse outside of the optical loop;
wherein the following equation is satisfied:
L min ≦L≦π/γP,

in which a length of the first waveguide is L, a nonlinear coefficient of the first waveguide is γ, a peak power of the amplified pulse as it is received by the first waveguide is P, and a minimum length of the first waveguide is L min .

2. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the energy of the first pulse is converted to the energy of the second pulse by a parametric process.

3. The optical apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first pulse is used as a pump wave and the second pulse is an idler wave or a signal wave.

4. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second waveguide comprises a photonic crystal fiber.

5. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical amplifier includes at least one fiber selected from the group of: double clad gain fiber, polarization maintaining double clad gain fiber, single mode gain fiber, and polarization maintaining gain fiber.

6. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third waveguide after the optical coupler in the optical loop;
wherein a length of the third waveguide is “I”, a pulse duration of the first pulse is “t”, and a dispersion parameter of the second pulse is “D” in the third waveguide which satisfy the following equation:
I≧t/D.

7. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein L min is 10 mm.

Assignees

• Canon Kk
• Univ Arizona
• Univ Arizona

Inventors

• Inoue Yukihiro
• Churin Dmitry
• Kieu Khanh

Classifications

• H01S3/1618

  ytterbium · CPC title

• H01S3/06758

  Tandem amplifiers · CPC title

• H01S3/2333

  Double-pass amplifiers · CPC title

• G02F1/395 Primary

  in optical waveguides · CPC title

• H01S3/0092

  Nonlinear frequency conversion, e.g. second harmonic generation [SHG] or sum- or difference-frequency generation outside the laser cavity (nonlinear frequency conversion per se G02F1/35) · CPC title