We review the physical properties, linear and nonlinear optical characteristics, and phase-matching configurations of BiB3O6 (BIBO), the first low-symmetry (monoclinic) inorganic nonlinear crystal that has found broad applications for frequency conversion of laser sources from the UV, across the visible, to the near-IR based on three-wave interactions. We describe in detail the most relevant optical properties that make this material an attractive candidate for nonlinear frequency conversion of laser light in general, and ultrafast femtosecond laser sources in particular. With special focus on ultrafast frequency conversion, characteristics such as group-velocity mismatch and spectral acceptance, parametric gain bandwidth, group-velocity dispersion, as well as angular acceptance and spatial walk-off are evaluated and optimum configurations for the attainment of maximum conversion efficiency, minimum pulse duration, and highest spatial beam quality are identified and compared with the most widely established alternative borate crystal, β-BaB2O4. Experimental results are presented on both parametric up-and down-conversion of femtosecond pulses, from the high-energy, low-repetition-rate (1 kHz) to the low-energy, high-repetitionrate (56-76 MHz) regime, demonstrating the unique versatility of BIBO for efficient frequency conversion of femtosecond pulses with broad tunability from 250 nm in the UV, throughout the visible, up to ∼ 3000 nm in the IR.Photograph of a femtosecond synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) based on BiB3O6 emitting in the yellow region of the spectrum. Pumped near 400 nm in the blue by the second harmonic of a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, the SPOPO can generate femtosecond pulses across the full visible range of 480-710 nm, from the blue-green, through to yellow, orange and red.

Ultrabroadband parametric amplification of a white-light continuum in the near IR (approximately 100 THz, 1.2-2.4 microm) is demonstrated in BiB3O6 pumped by 45 fs long pulses at 800 nm at a repetition rate of 1 kHz. The energy obtained with a 5 mm thick crystal reached 50 microJ, corresponding to external conversion efficiency of 20%.

We report efficient generation of tunable femtosecond pulses in the near IR using a two stage, white-light seeded, collinear, femtosecond optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The OPA, based on BiB(3)O(6) crystal in both stages and pumped at 807 nm by a 1 kHz Ti:sapphire laser amplifier, provides sub-30 fs signal pulses after compression with energies exceeding 200 microJ, which corresponds to fivefold pulse shortening and approximately 30% internal conversion efficiency in the second stage considering 150 fs pump pulses with 1.5 mJ energy. The corresponding idler pulses with more than 100 microJ have sub-60 fs duration without compression. The first stage alone is capable of producing sub-20 fs pulses near 1400 nm at the microjoule level without using any compression.

Ultrabroadband optical parametric generation in the near-IR (approximately 135 THz, 1.15-2.4 microm) is demonstrated using bismuth triborate, BiB(3)O(6) (BIBO), in a collinear geometry. The white light continuum energy obtained with a single stage reached 15 microJ (internal conversion efficiency of approximately 7%). Integral pulse durations as short as 63 fs were derived from the recorded FROG traces, comparable to the 45 fs pulse duration of the 1 kHz Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier used for pumping at 800 nm.