Tuning of a Ti3+:sapphire laser by an electro-optic beam deflection method

A wavelength-switching method for tuning a self-injection-seeded Ti3+:sapphire laser that uses an electro-optic beam deflection technique is reported. A LiNbO3 prism was employed in a tuning arm of the dual-cavity Ti3+:sapphire laser, and wavelength tuning of approximately 94 pm was attained by altering the deflection angle with the application of an electric field of 10 kV/cm to the prism. The spectral characteristics of the output laser were mainly determined by the diffraction grating in the dual-cavity laser, and the electro-optic prism just behaved as a light-beam deflector for the wavelength tuning purpose. This configuration can allow a simple tuning approach where fast and stable electronic wavelength switching is required in a narrow tuning range, on an order between a few tens of picometers to nanometers, without involving any mechanical movement.