High-efficiency nanosecond optical parametric oscillator with the stable ring configuration

High stability nanosecond OPO operation at 1.57 μm was realized based on the type II non-critically phase-matched (NCPM) KTP crystal by utilizing a single frequency Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) laser as pump source. Energy conversion efficiency of 18.1% was demonstrated with single-pass ring cavity which was approximately two times more than that of critical ring cavity. The highest slope efficiency of 37.76% and maximum signal pulse energy of 3.1 mJ were attained with the output reflectivity of R = 50% at the pulse repetition frequency of 100 Hz. Experimental results reveal that the nanosecond OPO with ring stable configuration is a promising design to meet the need of IPDA’s transmitter.