Measurement of mid-IR laser pulses by sum frequency generation

We present an experiment where pulses of mid-IR light are detected by converting them into 800 nm light by sum frequency generation (SFG) in a nonlinear AgGaS/sub 2/(AGS) crystal. The mid-IR optical source used for the experiment is a quantum cascade laser at 4.7 /spl mu/m and a CW 980 nm laser diode pump with a maximum power of 200 mW, based on a bound-to-continuum active region, using InGaAs/AlInAs strain-compensated on an InP substrate.