Long-pulse, amplitude-modulated optical parametric oscillator

A singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on periodically poled LiNbO(3) is pumped by a Nd:YAG-based oscillator-modulator-amplifier source. This pump source, operating at 1.064 μm, provides the ability to control the temporal characteristics of the OPO waveform. We illustrate pulse tailoring by demonstrating three pulse formats: a pulse with a sharply rising edge, a square pulse, and an amplitude-modulated square pulse. The OPO output is tuned over 1.45-1.67-μm (signal) and 2.9-4.0-μm (idler). We demonstrate a 7-μJ, 2-μs square pulse with 5-MHz sinusoidal amplitude modulation.