Design Considerations for the Manufacture of Temperature-Stable Periodically-Poled Nonlinear Crystals

In this work we are developing bulk devices for higher power operation in which focussing causes an intrinsic spread of k-vectors. Incorporating physical limits such as constant domain size and minimum separation to our grating designs ensures a high fabrication yield. Second harmonic generation via periodically-poled nonlinear materials offers an efficient means of generating high-quality visible light that would be otherwise unattainable with traditional laser sources. In particular the higher conversion efficiencies associated with periodically poled materials, such as lithium niobate, make them ideal for integration with lower power diode lasers.