ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the tuning curves of optical parametric generator (OPG)/optical parametric amplification(OPA) systems pumped at different wavelengths using various crystals. It discusses the energy exchange between the pump beam and the generated beams inside an OPA. The chapter describes the bandwidth narrowing techniques used in various devices and the bandwidths obtained experimentally. It examines experimental results achieved on extension of the tuning range of an OPG/OPA output using frequency doubling and difference frequency generation (DFG). The chapter summarizes the performances of some practical OPG/OPA systems. However, a bandwidth narrowing scheme can be easily incorporated in an OPG/OPA system. For high-power OPG/OPA stage, the energy conversion efficiency from the pump to the output can be significant. The reported energy conversion in various OPG/OPA systems is also briefly summarized.
