High-Power Continuous-Wave Ultraviolet Generation by Frequency Doubling of an Argon Laser

Continuous-wave 257-nm coherent light with a power of 1.2 W is generated by using an intracavity frequency doubling argon laser. In the laser resonator, an elliptical focusing technique is employed to minimize the risk of optical damage to a beta barium borate (BBO) nonlinear optical crystal without sacrificing the frequency conversion coefficient.