Optical parametric generation in periodically poled KTiOP O4 via extended phase matching

We report an experimental demonstration of optical parametric generation in a periodically poled KTiOP O4 crystal based on the principle of mirrorless optical parametric oscillation. A femtosecond pump pulse spectrally centered at 792 nm from a Ti:sapphire amplifier is prechirped to minimize Kerr effects. The pump pulse is then injected into the nonlinear crystal and down converted to signal and idler pulses, approximately centered at 1584 nm, via amplified spontaneous parametric down conversion in a copropagating type-II quasiphase matching configuration. The maximum internal downconversion efficiency is 43%, the highest ever reported for optical parametric generators based on KTiOP O4 crystals. Such a device may find applications in optical signal processing and biological imaging. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.