Compact infrared broadband source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9785033-B2
Application number	US-201514608473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A device for the generation of supercontinuum in infrared fiber with a pump light comprising a microchip laser operating with a wavelength of 1.0 μm or greater that can be wavelength shifted though a nonlinear element to a wavelength beyond the two-photon absorption of the infrared fiber and launched into infrared fiber whereby the spectrum is broadened in the infrared fiber through various nonlinear processes to generate a supercontinuum within the mid-IR from 2 to 14 μm.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for generating a supercontinuum in an infrared fiber with a compact light source, comprising:
a single pulsed microchip laser having an input laser bandwidth, wherein said laser operates with a wavelength of 1.0 micrometers or greater;
a bulk nonlinear optical element operated without a cavity; and
an infrared fiber transparent in the infrared;
wherein light from said laser is wavelength shifted beyond the two-photon absorption of the infrared fiber through said bulk nonlinear optical element and launched into said infrared fiber to produce a broadband output having a bandwidth greater than said input laser bandwidth by at least 100% and an emission wavelength range from 2 to 14 micrometers.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said laser comprises optically active elements Nd, Yb, Er, Dy, Pr, Sm, Eu, Ho, Tm, transition metal ions Cr or Fe, or any combination thereof.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said bulk nonlinear optical element comprises periodically poled lithium niobate, periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate, or periodically patterned gallium arsenide.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said bulk nonlinear optical element comprises lithium triborate, beta barium borate, zinc germanium phosphide, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, silver thiogallate, silver selenogallate, gallium selenide, lithium indium sulfide, or lithium indium selenide.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein said bulk nonlinear optical element comprises a single-pass Raman converter.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the infrared fiber is a chalcogenide glass fiber.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the infrared fiber has an outer diameter in the range of 100 to 500 micrometers.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the infrared fiber has a core size in the range of 1 to 100 micrometers in diameter.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein said laser has a pulse duration between 40 ps and 5 ns, and a repetition rate between 100 Hz and 100 MHz.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device weighs 20 kg or less, and wherein the device has dimensions of 20 cm×20 cm×20 cm or less.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the infrared fiber has a core size in the range of 1 to 50 micrometers in diameter.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein said laser has a pulse duration between 100 ps and 2 ns, and a repetition rate between 10 kHz and 10 MHz.

Assignees

• Gattass Rafael R
• Sanghera Jasbinder S
• Shaw L Brandon
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Gattass Rafael R
• Sanghera Jasbinder S
• Shaw L Brandon

Classifications

• G02F1/39

  for parametric generation or amplification of light, infrared or ultraviolet waves · CPC title

• H01S3/1643

  YAG · CPC title

• G02F1/3526

  using two-photon emission or absorption processes · CPC title

• G02F1/353 Primary

  Frequency conversion, i.e. wherein a light beam is generated with frequency components different from those of the incident light beams · 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