Abstract

The feasibility of generating cw high power deep ultraviolet (UV) coherent radiation, using a novel nonlinear optical technique, has been confirmed by modeling and experimentation. A new intracavity frequency doubling technique used with a visible argon ion laser and a BBO crystal has been shown to have the potential to generate quite stably high power cw coherent light with a wavelength ~0.25 μm. The expected narrow-linewidth power is >1 W, which is more than thirty times larger than that presently available in the deep UV region, for a medium sized 5-W class argon laser and higher for a larger class laser. The intracavity doubling optics was designed to maximize output UV power, keeping fundamental beam intensity in the crystal well below the damage threshold for stable and efficient intracavity conversion of the fundamental radiation of visible cw lasers when an angle-phase-matched crystal is used.

© 1991 Optical Society of America