Parametric oscillator generating 6-ps pulses at 1.56 /spl mu/m with 10 GHz repetition rate

Summary form only given. We present a 10 GHz OPO, based on periodically poled LiNbO/sub 3/ (PPLN), with a monolithic cavity synchronously pumped with a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:YVO/sub 4/ laser. To our knowledge, the repetition rate of 10 GHz is the highest ever reported for a /spl chi//sup (2)/ OPO. A main challenge for building a high-repetition-rate OPO is to overcome the pump threshold, because it becomes more difficult to reach high peak pump powers at high repetition rates. Our approach is to use a low-loss monolithic OPO resonator and to build on our recently developed concept of passively mode-locked miniature Nd:YVO/sub 4/ lasers at 1064 nm as pump sources. Such lasers have generated repetition rates up to 77 GHz and higher powers than semiconductor lasers, which eliminates the need for an amplifier.