Abstract
We have used lithium borate crystals, pumped by 18 ps laser pulses at 0.355 μm, as efficient optical parametric generator and amplifier of tunable, high-power picosecond pulses in the visible and near-infrared. This angle-tuned parametric device has a remarkably wide tuning range from 0.403 to 2.58 μm with a maximum pump-to-signal conversion of 28% around 0.425 μm. We investigate the influence of the pump intensity on the bandwidth of the tunable output. The duration of signal and idler pulses is 11–12 ps. No bulk or surface damage was observed for pump intensities up to 5 GW/cm2.