High-Power Blue Light Generation by External Frequency Doubling of an Optical Parametric Oscillator

We report on an all-solid-state high-power quasi-continuous blue light source by frequency doubling of the signal wave from an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). A 50-mm-long LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal is used for the OPO, which is pumped by a diode-pumped Nd:YAG green laser (10 kHz, 50 ns). Tunable blue emission in a new nonlinear crystal BiB₃O₆ (BiBO) is obtained with a wavelength range from 450 nm to 495 nm. The average power of the signal output is as high as 9.3 W from 924 nm to 970 nm. The maximum output of the blue laser with the second harmonic walk-off compensation is 1.3 W average power at 470 nm for 6.2 W of OPO signal light at 940 nm.