Broadly tunable, mode-hop-tuned cw optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

Abstract
We describe a broadly tunable, cw optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on periodically poled lithium niobate. The OPO can be tuned over a broad region in the mid IR (2900–3100 cm-1) covering the important C–H stretch region while a high spectral resolution (-1) is maintained. The OPO is the light source for a field-portable photoacoustic spectrometer for gas-phase monitoring of volatile organic compounds.