Reduction of Optical Feedback Originating From Ferroelectric Domains of Periodically Poled Crystals

Optical feedback originating from the interfaces of the periodically poled domains of a nonlinear crystal is usually blocked by a bulky optical isolator to avoid an influence on the pump source. Here, a nonlinear bulk crystal with a slanted design of the periodic poling is used to suppress the optical feedback toward the laser source. This crystal is compared with a conventionally poled crystal, in which the incident radiation propagates perpendicular to the domains. Both crystals are made of magnesium oxide doped congruent lithium niobate (PPMgO:CLN). A distributed Bragg reflector tapered diode lasers with a maximum optical power of 7.0 W at a wavelength of 1122 nm and each nonlinear crystal are employed in a single-pass setup. In comparison with the conventional crystal, the optical feedback of the crystal with slanted domains is reduced by 13.4 dB enabling a stable narrow-band operation of the pump laser source without an optical isolator. The impact of the optical feedback on the diode laser with respect to the optical output power and the spectral behavior is investigated. For the crystal with slanted domains, a frequency doubled output power up to 0.39 W at 561 nm is generated without reaching the coherence collapse regime, as observed in case of the conventional crystal. These results are promising for miniaturization of the setup without a need for a bulky optical isolator.