Cascaded frequency doublers for broadband laser radiation

A new scheme of a cascaded converter of the first harmonic of broadband cw laser radiation into the second harmonic (SH) with compensation for the group walk-off in cascades is proposed and investigated. The conditions under which high conversion coefficients of broadband (~33 cm^-1) single-mode fibre laser radiation with low peak power (~300 W) into the SH are determined for frequency doublers based on the most promising LBO crystal. Conversion of cw radiation with an average power of 300 W and efficiency η = 4.5 % into the SH is obtained in a single LBO crystal. Effect of coherent addition of SH radiation excited in different cascades is demonstrated for two- and three-stage schemes. The expected conversion efficiencies, calculated disregarding loss but taking into account real aberrations of elements, are 18 % and 38 %, respectively. The effect of pumping depletion begins to manifest itself in the third cascade of a three-stage converter; it may reduce the latter value to ~30 %.