110 W 1678 nm laser based on high-efficiency optical parametric interactions pumped by high-power slab laser

This Letter presents a high-efficiency optical parametric amplifier pumped by a high-power slab laser with approximate uniform rectangular distribution. By optimizing the overlapping, spectrum matching, and pulse synchronization for the pump and signal lasers, output power of 110.8 W at 1678 nm with corresponding conversion efficiency of 32.3% was achieved in addition to sufficient usage of the effective area in MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. It could also provide a designable and tunable wavelength of the amplified laser in a wide infrared region. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America