Abstract

We present a mid-infrared (MIR) source based on intra-pulse difference-frequency generation under the random quasi-phase-matching condition. The scheme enables the use of non-birefringent materials whose crystal orientations are not perfectly and periodically poled, widening the choice of media for nonlinear frequency conversion. With a 2 μm driving source based on a Ho:YAG thin-disk laser, together with a polycrystalline ZnSe element, an octave-spanning MIR continuum (2.7–20 μm) was generated. At over 20 mW, the average power is comparable to regular phase-matching in birefringent crystals. A 1 μm laser system based on a Yb:YAG thin-disk laser was also tested as a driving source in this scheme. The new approach provides a simplified way for generating coherent MIR radiation with an ultrabroad bandwidth at reasonable efficiency.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

Broadband mid-infrared coverage (2–17  μm) with few-cycle pulses via cascaded parametric processes

Qing Wang, Jinwei Zhang, Alexander Kessel, Nathalie Nagl, Vladimir Pervak, Oleg Pronin, and Ka Fai Mak
Opt. Lett. 44(10) 2566-2569 (2019)

Tunable phase-mismatched mid-infrared difference-frequency generation between 6 and 17 µm in CdTe

Xuemei Yang, Bo Hu, Kan Tian, Linzhen He, Maoxing Xiang, Zhongjun Wang, Weizhe Wang, Han Wu, Yang Li, and Houkun Liang
Opt. Lett. 48(7) 1786-1789 (2023)

Narrowband carrier-envelope phase stable mid-infrared pulses at wavelengths beyond 10  μm by chirped-pulse difference frequency generation

A. Cartella, T. F. Nova, A. Oriana, G. Cerullo, M. Först, C. Manzoni, and A. Cavalleri
Opt. Lett. 42(4) 663-666 (2017)

Mid-infrared frequency comb generation via cascaded quadratic nonlinearities in quasi-phase-matched waveguides

Abijith S. Kowligy, Alex Lind, Daniel D. Hickstein, David R. Carlson, Henry Timmers, Nima Nader, Flavio C. Cruz, Gabriel Ycas, Scott B. Papp, and Scott A. Diddams
Opt. Lett. 43(8) 1678-1681 (2018)

Broadband, few-cycle mid-infrared continuum based on the intra-pulse difference frequency generation with BGSe crystals

Jinwei Zhang, Qing Wang, Jingjie Hao, Heyan Liu, Jiyong Yao, Zhuang Li, Jie Liu, and Ka Fai Mak
Opt. Express 28(25) 37903-37909 (2020)