Abstract

We have developed a tunable femtosecond source in the visible based on parametric generation and amplification in the nonlinear crystal BBO. 600 fs pulses having an energy of 20 μJ have been produced at 640 nm. Calculations have been performed to show that the efficiency of the system is limited by the high inherent group velocity dispersion and group velocity mismatch between the pump and signal pulses. These limitations are reduced by precompensating for the group velocity dispersion and by adding delay lines to adjust for the differing group velocities of the pump and signal pulses.

© 1994 Optical Society of America