Structured nonlinear optical materials for LIDAR-based remote sensing

This NASA Phase II STTR effort will develop domain-engineered magnesium oxide doped lithium niobate (MgO:LN) for LIDAR-based remote sensing and communication applications. Use of bulk and waveguide-based domain engineered MgO:LN will allow the manufacture of highly efficient and compact, wavelength conversion modules for second-harmonic generation (SHG), sum-frequency generation (SFG), and parametric down conversion (PDC). In addition, these devices can be configured for broadband and high-gain optical parametric amplification (OPA) in the near-IR spectral region providing a path to the development of compact, single wavelength, spectroscopically useful laser sources as well as programmable optical comb (multi-wavelength) sources.