Widely tunable, near-to mid-infrared femtosecond and picosecond optical parametric oscillators using periodically poled LiNbO3 and RbTiOAsO4

We describe the operation and characterization of Ti:sapphire laser-pumped femtosecond and picosecond optical parametric oscillators based the new quasi-phase-matched nonlinear materials of periodically poled LiNbO3 and RbTiOAsO4 with broad tunability in the near-to mid-infrared. We discuss the merits of the two materials for use in ultrafast optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) and compare and contrast their properties to the birefringent materials. We demonstrate an extended spectral coverage from <1 mu m to >5 mu m, pump power thresholds as low as 45 mW, average mid-infrared output powers in excess of 100 mW, and pulse durations of 100-200 fs and 1-2 ps at similar to 80 MHz repetition rate. We also report the efficient operation of Ti:sapphire-pumped femtosecond OPO's in all-solid-state configurations by utilizing diode-laser-based input pump sources.