Investigation of a diode-pumped intracavity optical parametric oscillator in pulsed and continuous wave operation

Summary form only given. CW and pulsed compact tunable laser sources in the infrared have widespread scientific, medical and industrial applications. Such a laser source can be obtained by use of a diode-pumped intracavity optical parametric oscillator (IOPO). We report on a IOPO based on a Yb:YAG laser incorporating a periodically poled LiNbO/sub 3/ (PPLN) crystal inside the laser cavity to take advantage of the high circulating intracavity field. The Yb:YAG crystal is pumped by a reliable 940 nm fibre-coupled diode laser. The IOPO consists of a Yb:YAG crystal coated for HR at 1030 nm, an intracavity lens to generate a beam waist in the PPLN crystal, a dichroic mirror to separate the laser and signal fields and two end mirrors.