Rapidly tunable optical parametric oscillator based on aperiodic quasi-phase matching

A new optical parametric oscillator (OPO) architecture with high tuning speed capability is demonstrated. This device exploits the versatility offered by aperiodic quasi-phase matching (QPM) to provide a broad parametric gain spectrum without changing the temperature, angle, or position of the nonlinear crystal. Rapid tuning is then straightforwardly achieved using a fast intracavity spectral filter. This concept is demonstrated here for a picosecond synchronously pumped OPO containing an aperiodically poled MgO-doped LiNbO₃ crystal and a rapidly tunable spectral filter based on a diffraction grating. Tuning over 160 nm around 3.86 μm is achieved at fixed temperature and a fast tuning over 30 nm in 40 μs is demonstrated. Different configurations are tested and compared. The cavity length detuning is analyzed and discussed. This device is successfully used to detect N₂O by absorption. This approach could be generalized to other spectral ranges (e.g., visible) and temporal regimes (e.g., continuous-wave or nanosecond).