Phase-Matched Growth of ZnGeP2 Mid-IR OPO Crystals

Major advances in mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator technology have been made possible in recent years by the growth of large, high optical quality ZnGeP2 single crystals with reduced near-infrared losses.1,2 Efficient (65% slope, 46% overall), 1 high average power (>2.5Watts),1 and continuously tunable (3.45-5.05μm) operation2 have been demonstrated under 2.05μm-pumping (Ho:YLF) using AR-coated ZnGeP2 samples measuring 6 × 6 × 12mm. Sample size was limited by the growth orientation of 19mm diameter, 150mm-long single crystal boules.