Performance characteristics of a continuous-wave intracavity optical parametric oscillator are described by use of an experimental arrangement comprising a KTP singly resonant oscillator located within a Ti:sapphire laser cavity and analyzed by use of a steady-state model. Internal and external powers, circulating fields, tuning ranges, spectral bandwidths, and amplitude-stability levels are measured and discussed. The nonresonant idler tunes from 2.53 to 2.87 microm, delivers a maximum output power of approximately 0.4W and displays long-term amplitude-stable operation. The total downconverted power approaches the optimum power coupled out of the Ti:sapphire laser in the absence of frequency conversion.

We have demonstrated a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator that uses separate optical cavities to resonate independently the nondegenerate signal and idler frequencies. The three-mirror cavity utilizes the type II phase-matching geometry in lithium triborate, with the orthogonally polarized signal and idler fields separated by an intracavity, dichroic-coated, Brewster-angled beam splitter. This dual-cavity oscillator can overcome mode and cluster hopping effects, which are characteristic of doubly resonant, continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators. We measure a pump power threshold of ≊200 mW and smooth tuning over ≊0.4 GHz. The tuning range is limited by pump resonance effects within the idler cavity.

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A high-power continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on the nonlinear material KTiOAsO4 and pumped internal to a tunable Ti:sapphire laser is described. The use of the intracavity pumping approach has enabled operation of a singly resonant oscillator (SRO), resulting in the generation of as much as 1.46 W of infrared power in a 11.5-mm-long crystal. Amplitude-stable signal and idler outputs, each in excess of 500 mW, over the respective wavelength ranges of 1.11–1.20 and 2.44–2.86 μm have been extracted from the SRO. We demonstrate up to 90% down-conversion of the optimum Ti:sapphire output power to the SRO, confirming our recent theoretical predictions. The performance characteristics of the device demonstrate that practical, stable, and efficient operation of continuous-wave SROs at watt-level output power can be readily achieved in conventional birefringent materials by exploiting the intracavity pumping approach.

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