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We report blue light generation in a LiTaO3 waveguide by quasi‐phase‐matched (QPM) second‐harmonic generation (SHG). A periodically domain‐inverted structure for QPM is fabricated in LiTaO3 by proton exchange of a selective Ta‐masked area using pyrophosphoric acid followed by heat treatment. By utilizing this structure and low‐loss proton‐exhanged waveguides, we have realized a third‐order QPM‐SHG device. As a result, 0.13 mW of harmonic blue light was generated for a conversion efficiency of 18%/W.

We demonstrated the highly efficient SHG blue laser and its applicability to the high-density optical disk systems. The SHG blue laser permits compact packaging with high power and direct modulation capability.

Theoretical and experimental analyses of second-harmonic generation (SHG) with a high-index-clad waveguide are reported. It was found that confinement of the propagation modes and the overlap between the fields of fundamental and second-harmonic waves could be increased in this waveguide. This structure was achieved in an x-cut MgO:LiNbO (3) quasi-phase-matched (QPM) waveguide by use of Nb(2)O(5) as a cladding layer. With the QPM SHG device, harmonic blue light of 5.5 mW at the 434-nm wavelength was generated with a normalized conversion efficiency of 1200%/W cm(2).

Ultra-violet second-harmonic generation in a 1.4 µm periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 is presented. Using a high-voltage multi-pulse application method, a first-order nonlinear grating with a period of 1.4 µm was fabricated over 10-mm interaction length in a 2-mm thick MgO:LiNbO3 substrate. In a single pass configuration, cw 1.2 mW of ultraviolet light at 341.5 nm was successfully obtained for a fundamental power of 141 mW, corresponding to a normalized conversion efficiency of 5.4%/W.

We proposed a multi-pass second harmonic generation scheme in which condensed fundamental light passed through a nonlinear crystal many times. The multi-pass scheme was realized by using a wide periodically-poled MgO:LiNbO3, concave mirrors and condensing optics. The total wavelength conversion efficiency of the multi-pass scheme was increased because non-converted fundamental light which had passed through the nonlinear crystal was re-injected and condensed into the nonlinear crystal and converted. Moreover the total temperature tolerance of the multi passes was widened because the fundamental beam passes had different phase-matching temperature and compensated for miss conversions of other passes. In this work, continuous-wave 5 W green light (532 nm) with 66% conversion efficiency and wide temperature tolerance were obtained.

We have developed illumination optics for image projection systems. It realizes uniform illumination and suppression of speckle and diffraction noises by using a diffuser and integrator optics. By optimizing the diffusing angle of the diffuser, optical power loss was less than 10%. A proto type of a laser projector with a red wide-stripe semiconductor laser and green and blue second-harmonic generation lasers was realized by using the developed illumination optics and twisted nematic liquid-crystal panels. Still images from a personal computer and video images from a digital versatile disk (DVD) player were displayed with the system and a wide colour gamut and smooth images without diffraction noise nor speckle noise were confirmed.

Quasi-phase-matched (QPM) UV second-harmonic generation (SHG) in a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 waveguide is presented. A ridge-type waveguide with high nonlinearity and strong resistance to photorefractive damage was achieved by use of an ultraprecision machining technique. By use of this waveguide in 1.4-microm periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3, a first-order QPM SHG device for 340-nm UV radiation was demonstrated. In a single-pass configuration, continuous-wave 22.4-mW UV light was generated for a fundamental power of 81 mW, corresponding to a normalized conversion efficiency of 340%/W.

We demonstrate a miniaturized blue laser (5×12×1.5 mm3) using second harmonic generation (SHG), which consists of a quasi-phase-matched (QPM)-SHG waveguide device on an x-cut Mg-doped LiNbO3 substrate and a tunable distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) laser diode. By using the QPM-SHG waveguide device on an x-cut substrate, efficient optical coupling was realized without a half-wave plate, and the maximum coupling efficiency of 75% was achieved. The blue light power of 2 mW was generated for the fundamental coupling power of 20 mW, which agreed with a conversion efficiency of 10%. The mechanical stability of the planar-type butt-coupled SHG blue laser was examined, where the coupling efficiency was maintained constantly under the change of module temperature and the temperature cycle test from 10 to 60°C. We succeeded in downsizing the SHG blue laser to 0.1 cm3, which is sufficiently small for its application to optical disk systems.

We present a method of controlling the shape of the domain-inverted structure in an off-cut MgO:LiNbO(3) crystal by utilizing a two-dimensional high-voltage application. With this technique a periodically domain-inverted structure with a period of 3.2 microm and a thickness of 2.0 microm was fabricated over a 10-mm interaction length. This structure has made possible sufficient overlaps between propagation modes and domain inversion in the waveguide. Using this structure, we demonstrated cw blue second-harmonic generation of 17.3 mW of power at a wavelength of 426 nm with single-pass 55-mW cw AlGaAs laser diode input, which corresponded to 31% power-conversion efficiency.

Efficient intracavity second-harmonic generation (SHG) based on a bulk-type quasi-phase-matched (QPM) SHG device in a LiTaO(3) crystal is demonstrated. The periodically domain-inverted regions were fabricated by a high-voltage application technique. The internal loss from the refractive-index change in the domain-inverted regions was reduced to less than 0.1% by an annealing technique. Intracavity frequency doubling of a Nd:YVO(4) laser with the QPM SHG device pumped by a laser diode was effected to generate 13-mW green light for a pump power of 130 mW without suffering transverse mode distortion from a photorefractive effect.

We achieved improvement in conversion efficiency in a first-order quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation device that uses a LiTaO(3) waveguide by experimentally characterizing the device process and the performances. Efficient overlaps among propagation light modes and the first-order periodically domain-inverted region are gained in a strongly confined waveguide fabricated by use of proton exchange annealed by a quick heat treatment. A blue-light power of 22 mW is obtained for a conversion efficiency of 18% by using a Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser. The observed FWHM temperature and wavelength acceptance bandwidths for second-harmonic generation power are 2.5 °C and 0.13 nm, respectively. Using this device with antireflection coating on the input and output facets of the waveguide, we generate 1.3 mW of blue light for a conversion efficiency of 4% by direct diode-laser doubling.

The characteristics of proton-exchanged MgO-doped LiNbO3 (MgO:LiNbO3) and LiTaO3 waveguides fabricated by the pyrophosphoric acid process are reported. Using this process, low-loss (0.4 dB/cm) channel waveguides in MgO:LiNbO3 have been realized at 633 nm without annealing. The optical damage in MgO:LiNbO3 waveguides at 441.6 nm wavelength is lower than that obtained in LiNbO3. For LiTaO3, by annealing, low-loss (0.3 dB/cm) channel waveguides can be fabricated by pyrophosphoric acid proton exchange. No optical damage was observed in the LiTaO3 waveguides even when the incident power was above 1 mW at 442 nm.