SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF MGO:LINBO(3)

AS OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS BECOME MORE WIDELY USED IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO MAKE THESE INSTRUMENTS SMALLER AND MORE COMPACT, LIGHTER IN WEIGHT AND MORE EFFICIENT. THE MOST COMPACT TUNABLE SOLID STATE LASER SOURCE OF GOOD BEAM QUALITY WOULD BE A SEMICONDUCTOR LASER PUMPLED CRYSTAL FIBER LASER. TO DEVELOP A TUNABLE SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBER LASER THAT IS TUNABLE FROM 660NM TO BEYOND 1000NM IS THE SUBJECT OF OUR SBIR PROPOSAL. THE FIRST STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM REQUIRES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECOND HARMONIC GENERATOR. THIS IS THE SUBJECT OF OUR PHASE I PROGRAM. WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF MGO:LINBO(3) AS THE SHG CRYSTAL. THE ADVANTAGES OF SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS FOR THIS APPLICATION ARE THE LONG INTERACTION LENGTHS THAT RESULT, THE COMPACTNESS OF THE SYSTEM AND THE EASE WITH WHICH THE CRYSTAL CAN BE BOTH TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED AND TUNED. DURING THE COURSE OF THE PHASE II PROGRAM WE WILL DEVELOP SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBER LASERS OF ND:YAG AND TI;AL(2)O(3) THAT CAN BE TUNED CONTINUOUSLY BETWEEN 660NM AND OVER 1000NM. THE LASER SYSTEM WILL THEN BE COMPOSED OF A ND:YAG FIBER LASER PUMPED BY A DIODE ARRAY; THE MGO:LINBO(3) FIBER FREQUENCY DOUBLER; AND THE TI:AL(2_O(3) FIBER TUNABLE LASER.