The objectives of this Phase I program are (1) trade-off studied of various OPO crystals and identification of the optimal performance of the crystal; (2) identification of the crystal fiber orientations suitable for high efficiency OPO devices using diode lasers (0.7-0.9 micronmeters, 1.2-1.6 micrometers) as the pumps and (3) prediction of the figure of merit for OPO (threshold power, gain) and conversion efficiencies. In this program, we propose nonlinear fibers of lithium tribroate (LBO) and the organic crystals of DAN. These crystals feature very high damage threshold (in LBO) and very high nonlinearity (in DAN). The LBO-fiber will be provided by Tsing-Hus University in China (the sole source, crystal was grown by the laser-heated pedestal method) and the DAN-fiber will be grown at Creol (at the University of Central Florida), where cored-fiber will be grown by the Bridgman method. This program will be conducted jointly by advanced laser systems technology and Creol (center for research in electrooptics and lasers) at UCF. Data anticipated from Phase I studies will be used for optimal performance in Phase II program.
