High average power, widely tunable femtosecond laser source from red to mid-infrared based on an Yb-fiber-laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator.

We report on the highly efficient generation of widely tunable femtosecond pulses based on intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG) in a MgO-doped periodically poled LiNbO(3) optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which is pumped by a Yb-doped large-mode-area photonics crystal fiber femtosecond laser. Red and near infrared from intracavity SHG and SFG and infrared signals were directly obtained from the OPO. A 2 mm β-BaB(2)O(4) is applied for Type I (oo → e) intracavity SHG and SFG, and then femtosecond laser pulses over 610 nm ~ 668 nm from SFG and 716 nm ~ 970 nm from SHG are obtained with high efficiency. In addition, the oscillator simultaneously generates signal and idler femtosecond pulses over 1450 nm ~ 2200 nm and 2250 nm ~ 4000 nm, respectively.