Tunable femtosecond laser-pulse source including a super-continuum generator

摘要

A mode-locked fiber MOPA delivers pulses of laser-radiation. A super-continuum generator including a bulk spectral-broadening element and a negative group-delay dispersion (NGDD) device is arranged to receive a pulse from the MOPA and cause the pulse to make a predetermined number of sequential interactions with the broadening element and the NGDD device. After making the predetermined interactions, the pulse is delivered from the super-continuum generator with a very broad spectral-bandwidth and a very short duration.

主权项

1. Optical apparatus comprising:
a source of pulses of laser radiation, each pulse having a first pulse-duration and a first pulse-spectrum; and a spectral broadener including a bulk spectral-broadening element and a negative group-delay dispersion device, the spectral broadener being configured and arranged to receive a pulse from the source of laser pulses, cause the pulse to make at least four interactions with the spectral-broadening element and at least two interactions with the negative group-delay dispersion (NGDD) device, and deliver the pulse with a second pulse-duration and a second pulse-spectrum, with the second pulse-spectrum being broader than the first pulse-spectrum and wherein the interactions of the pulse with the NGDD device are interspersed with the interactions of the pulse with the spectral broadening element in order to temporally recompress the pulse prior to the next interaction of the pulse with the spectral broadening element.