Monolithic optical parametric oscillators

Stability and footprint of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) strongly depend on the cavity used. Monolithic OPOs tend to be most stable and compact since they do not require external mirrors that have to be aligned. The most straightforward way to get rid of the mirrors is to coat the end faces of the nonlinear crystal. Whispering gallery resonators (WGRs) are a more advanced solution since they provide ultra-high reflectivity over a wide spectral range without any coating. Furthermore, they can be fabricated out of nonlinear-optical materials like lithium niobate. Thus, they are ideally suited to serve as a monolithic OPO cavity. We present the experimental realization of optical parametric oscillators based on whispering gallery resonators. Pumped at 1 µm wavelength, they genera te signal and idler fields tunable between 1.8 and 2.5 µm wavelength. We explore different schemes, how to phase match the nonlinear interaction in a WGR. In particular, we show improvements in the fabrication of quasi-phase-matching structures. They enable great flexibility for the tuning and for the choice of the pump laser.