The application of the monoclinic BiB3O6 nonlinear crystal in ultrafast laser technology

BiB3O6 (BIBO), the first low-symmetry (monoclinic class 2) inorganic nonlinear crystal that became commercially available, possesses some unique advantages for applications in ultrafast laser technology which are primarily related to its dispersive properties. In the present paper, these properties are analyzed in more detail and compared with other crystals. Of special interest is the pumping of this material near 800 nm for broadband parametric amplification in the near-infrared between 1.15 and 2.4 μm. We present experimental results on generation and amplification of ultrabroadband femtosecond continua in this spectral range using amplified Ti:sapphire lasers as pump sources.

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