Review of the development of nonlinear materials for mid-IR generation

摘要

A review of the development of nonlinear materials suitable for use in the mid-IR (3 to 5 (mu)m) is presented. This examines the properties, performance, limitations and availability of a range of materials, including birefringently phasematched crystals and engineered quasi-phasematched materials. Higher-order nonlinear processes in alternative materials are also considered and a discussion on material suitability for down-conversion of near-IR lasers into the mid-IR to meet various application requirements is also presented.