Abstract

Diode-based sources of near or mid-IR radiation are finding applications in communications, spectroscopy, and process monitoring. Nonlinear optical frequency conversion to shift diode laser outputs to the desired wavelength has attracted significant attention as a means to meet these needs. Periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) has proven to be a nonlinear material offering an excellent combination of efficiency, wavelength accessibility, ease of fabrication, reproducibility, and cost. Waveguide geometries significantly increase conversion efficiencies of nonlinear devices by tightly confining the optical fields over long interaction lengths. Combining annealed proton-exchanged (APE) waveguide technology with PPLN allows the application of nonlinear frequency conversion to low power sources.

© 1996 Optical Society of America