1.2 W, Tunable, continuous-wave, single-frequency, solid-state blue source

Continuous-wave (cw) solid-state blue sources are of interest for optical data storage, laser displays, spectroscopy, and medical diagnostics. Frequency doubling of Ti:sapphire can in principle can provide coverage in the 400-500 nm range, but at relatively high cost and complexity. Here, we describe a novel approach to the generation of cw blue radiation based on intracavity SHG of a cw singly-resonant OPO (SRO) with MgO:sPPLT as the nonlinear crystal. The source offers wide tuning range, watt-level output power, and single-frequency performance, in a simple, compact, all-solid-state design.