1330 OPTICS LETTERS / Vol. 34, No.

9 / May 1, 2009

Phase-stabilized, 1.5 W frequency comb

at 2.8– 4.8 ␮m
Florian Adler,1,* Kevin C. Cossel,1 Michael J. Thorpe,1 Ingmar Hartl,2 Martin E. Fermann,2 and Jun Ye1
1
JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, and Department of Physics,
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA
2
IMRA America Inc., 1044 Woodridge Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA
*Corresponding author: fadler@[Link]
Received February 11, 2009; accepted March 16, 2009;
posted March 31, 2009 (Doc. ID 107383); published April 20, 2009
We present a high-power optical-parametric-oscillator (OPO) based frequency comb in the mid-IR wave-
length region. The system employs periodically poled lithium niobate and is singly resonant for the signal.
It is synchronously pumped by a 10 W femtosecond Yb:fiber laser centered at 1.07 ␮m. The idler (signal)
wavelength can be continuously tuned from 2.8 to 4.8 ␮m 共1.76 to 1.37 ␮m兲 with a simultaneous bandwidth
as high as 0.3 ␮m and a maximum average idler output power of 1.50 W. We also demonstrate the perfor-
mance of the stabilized comb by recording the heterodyne beat with a narrow-linewidth diode laser. This
OPO is an ideal source for frequency comb spectroscopy in the mid-IR. © 2009 Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: 190.4970, 320.7160, 140.7090.

In recent years, frequency combs have become attrac- 0.3-␮m-wide idler spectra, which are continuously
tive laser sources for a variety of applications—the tunable from 2.8 to 4.8 ␮m with an average power of
latest of which is the direct use of comb sources for up to 1.5 W. We also present a scheme for full elec-
precision spectroscopy. Frequency combs provide a tronic stabilization of the mid-IR frequency comb
unique combination of large wavelength coverage with a demonstration of the optical beat note be-
and high spectral resolution, and therefore they al- tween the doubled idler signal and a narrow-
low for simultaneous, precise, and rapid scanning of linewidth diode laser at 1.545 ␮m.
wide regions of interest [1–6]. Furthermore, the spec- A schematic of our setup is depicted in Fig. 1(a).
troscopic sensitivity may be massively increased by The OPO is designed with a five-mirror linear cavity
efficiently coupling the comb to a high-finesse optical and is singly resonant for the signal. Its length is
enhancement cavity. Consequently, cavity-enhanced matched to the repetition rate of the pump laser
direct frequency comb spectroscopy (CE-DFCS) [7]
proved very successful for the detection of small
quantities of trace gases [4,8].
Despite its success, CE-DFCS has so far not been
able to exploit its full potential. Practical comb
sources are mostly limited to Ti:sapphire and Er:fiber
lasers and therefore to the near-IR spectral region of
less than 2 ␮m; however, fundamental rovibrational
absorption bands of nearly all molecules lie in the
mid-IR of 3 to 12 ␮m and beyond. Therefore, cur-
rently used frequency combs have to rely on weaker
overtone vibrations, compromising the detection sen-
sitivity by about 2-3 orders of magnitude. There are
two common strategies to generate a mid-IR fre-
quency comb. The first one is difference-frequency
generation, which offers flexible and simple IR comb
generation [9–11]. The second approach is the use of
optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). In particular,
femtosecond OPOs based on periodically poled
lithium niobate (PPLN) are able to provide high out-
put power and easy alignment owing to quasi phase
matching [12,13]; however, stable mid-IR combs
[14,15] have not been demonstrated for wavelengths
higher than 2.5 ␮m at a power level, repetition rate,
and spectral coverage sufficient for frequency comb Fig. 1. (Color online) Schematic of the OPO setup: M1–
M5, OPO cavity mirrors; DM, dichroic mirrors; PBS, polar-
spectroscopy (⬎1 ␮W per comb mode). izing beam splitter; PD1 and PD2, Si photodiodes; PCF,
In this Letter we present a fiber-laser pumped photonic crystal fiber; DDS, rf synthesizer; PZT, piezo. (b)
OPO based on a fan-out MgO-doped PPLN crystal Snapshot of all emitted wavelengths (intensity not to
that provides a high-power frequency comb in the scale); the arrows indicate the spectral shift for increasing
mid-IR spectral region. We generate up to crystal poling period.

0146-9592/09/091330-3/$15.00 © 2009 Optical Society of America

 May 1, 2009 / Vol. 34, No. 9 / OPTICS LETTERS 1331

共frep = 136 MHz兲, resulting in a 110 cm OPO cavity. over a tuning range of more than 1 ␮m. The drops at
The amplified Yb:fiber pump laser delivers 100 fs short and long idler wavelengths agree well with the
pulses with a maximum average power of 10 W at a expected trend due to the mirror reflectivities (gray
center wavelength of 1.07 ␮m [16] and is coupled into dashed curve). To extract the OPO threshold and
the cavity through mirror M2 共T ⬎ 97% 兲. The OPO slope efficiency, we plot the mid-IR output power
crystal is a 7-mm-long MgO-doped PPLN with a fan- against pump power at one specific crystal position
out grating structure; the poling period varies lin- 共␭idler = 3.01 ␮m兲, as shown in the inset of Fig. 2. The
early over the width of the crystal from threshold pump power is 1.7 W, which is reasonable
25.5 to 32.5 ␮m. Therefore, the OPO’s wavelength is considering the fact that the OPO cavity and the
tuned by simply translating the PPLN. As a precau- pump laser are not dispersion managed and that the
tion to prevent damage from the intense pump beam, strong pump light is not tightly focused into the crys-
the crystal is heated to a temperature of 71 ° C. As we tal. The slope efficiency starts off at 0.29 and reduces
currently do not require the signal output, all cavity to 0.16 at about 4 W of pump power due to the onset
mirrors (M1–M5) in the present setup are highly re- of a competing conversion process. Most notably, we
flective for 1.35– 1.80 ␮m. M4 couples out both pump do not observe any indication of nonlinear losses with
and idler with an average transmission of 95%. A va- up to 9.17 W of pump power, where we measure
riety of generally non-phase-matched mixing signals 1.50 W of idler power. In addition, spectral data are
is emitted along with signal 共s兲 and idler 共i兲. Figure recorded with a scanning monochromator and a
1(b) shows a spectrum of the light leaking through liquid-nitrogen-cooled InSb detector (see Fig. 3). The
end mirror M1 recorded with an optical spectrum center wavelength is tuned solely by translating the
analyzer (OSA) along with the corresponding idler crystal and ranges from 2.8 to 4.8 ␮m. The largest si-
spectrum. The most prominent mixing signals are multaneous bandwidth (FWHM) is 0.3 ␮m, obtained
the sum frequencies of pump and signal 共p + s兲, pump at 3.26 ␮m.
and idler 共p + i兲, and frequency-doubled pump 共2p兲 Finally, we stabilize and characterize the mid-IR
and signal 共2s兲. Although these wavelengths are only idler frequency comb. Its nth comb tooth may be de-
by-products from the OPO process, they exhibit pow- scribed by the usual equation ␯ ni = f 0i + nfrep, where f 0i
ers of several milliwatts and are used to stabilize the stands for the idler comb offset and n is an integer
mid-IR comb. number on the order of 105 − 106. The superscript i
The powerful pump laser and the large nonlinear- may be replaced by s or p when referring to the signal
ity of the PPLN lead to a high conversion efficiency or pump comb, respectively. The three comb offset
into the IR over a wide tuning range. Figure 2 shows frequencies are connected by the relation f 0p = f 0s + f 0i .
the idler output power (triangles, left axis) and pho- The stabilization scheme is implemented by exploit-
ton conversion efficiency (circles, right axis) mea- ing the generated parasitic mixing signals (see Fig.
sured at the M4 output port for different center 1). In general we utilize p + s and p + i, which are
wavelengths. The pump laser is operated at 8.47 W separated by a dichroic mirror (DM) and focused onto
at all crystal positions. The maximum idler power separate Si detectors (PD1 and PD2, respectively). To
共1.42 W兲 is obtained at 3.19 ␮m, whereas the highest obtain a useful beat note, we pick off a small portion
photon conversion efficiency of 51% is observed at a of the pump light before the OPO cavity and broaden
wavelength of 3.59 ␮m (1.29 W of average power). the spectrum in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The
Most notably, a power of at least 1 W is maintained generated pump supercontinuum (p-SC) provides
spectral coverage down to 600 nm and is superim-
posed with p + s and p + i on the respective detectors.
Hence, the observed heterodyne beats correspond to
f 0s and f 0i , respectively. Typically, f0s is locked to a
stable rf reference (DDS) via a piezo (PZT)-actuated
M5, thus stabilizing the OPO cavity length. Then f 0i
may be stabilized via f 0s + f 0i = f 0p by feeding back to
the fiber laser’s pump diode power (which acts on f 0p).

Fig. 2. Idler output power (triangles) and photon conver-

sion efficiency (circles) of the OPO for different idler wave-
lengths. The gray dashed curve represents the trend for the
conversion efficiency expected from the mirror reflectivi-
ties. The inset shows the idler power versus pump power Fig. 3. (Color online) Collection of typical idler spectra
characteristics at ␭idler = 3.01 ␮m. (normalized and vertically offset for clarity).
1332 OPTICS LETTERS / Vol. 34, No. 9 / May 1, 2009

The resulting stability and comb-tooth linewidth is In summary, we have presented a high-power OPO
demonstrated with an optical beat between 2i and a frequency comb that will serve as an excellent source
10 kHz linewidth external cavity diode laser (ECDL) for coherent spectroscopy techniques such as CE-
operating at 1.545 ␮m, as shown in Fig. 4. The idler DFCS in the wavelength range of 2.8 to 4.8 ␮m. The
spectrum is tuned to a center wavelength of 3.09 ␮m, maximum idler power of 1.50 W is the highest power
frequency doubled in a GaSe crystal, and combined reported to date for a synchronously pumped OPO in
with the ECDL light in a single-mode fiber. We lock the mid-IR wavelength region, which promises excep-
frep of the pump laser by generating an optical beat tional signal-to-noise ratio for spectroscopy experi-
note between the Yb:fiber comb and a 1 kHz line- ments. Additionally, the covered spectral region con-
width, 1.064 ␮m nonplanar ring oscillator (NPRO) tains strong fundamental vibrational bands of many
[see Fig. 4(a)], thus obtaining high short-term stabil- important trace gases. Thus detection sensitivities
ity. With the idler tuned to 3.09 ␮m (and signal to will be drastically enhanced compared to experi-
ments operating in the near-IR [4,8]. Owing to the ro-
1.64 ␮m) the stabilization of f 0i is particularly
bust fiber-based pump source and the electronic lock,
simple, because the mixing signals p + i and 2s hap-
the OPO provides a stable comb with more than
pen to be spectrally overlapped. Therefore the beam
30 ␮W per mode over hours of operation, which is es-
focused onto PD2 contains an intrinsic heterodyne
sential for real-world spectroscopy experiments.
beat, and light from the PCF is no longer required.
The resulting rf frequency represents 2f 0i − f 0s and is We thank D. C. Yost, M. J. Martin, and T. R. Schibli
therefore an appropriate feedback for stabilizing the for valuable assistance. F. Adler acknowledges sup-
OPO length [see Fig. 4(b)], since the free-running f 0p port by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. This
shows sufficient stability (and so is f 0s + f 0i = f 0p). Once work is funded by U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific
2f 0i − f 0s is locked, a constant beat note between 2i and Research (AFOSR), the Defense Advanced Research
the ECDL is detected [see Fig. 4(c)]. The wide pedes- Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institute of
tal is consistent with the one observed in the frep lock. Standards and Technology (NIST), and Agilent.
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