All-prism achromatic phase matching for tunable second-harmonic generation

Achromatic phase matching (APM) involves dispersing the light entering a nonlinear optical crystal so that a wide range of wavelengths is simultaneously phase matched. We constructed an APM apparatus consisting of six prisms, the final dispersion angle of which was optimized to match to second order in wavelength the type I phase-matching angle of beta barium borate (BBO). With this apparatus, we doubled tunable fundamental light from 620 to 700 nm in wavelength using a 4-mm-long BBO crystal. An analogous set of six prisms after the BBO crystal, optimized to second order in second-harmonic wavelength, realigned the output second-harmonic beams. Computer simulations predict that adjustment of a single prism can compensate angular misalignment of any or all the prisms before the crystal, and similarly for the prisms after the crystal. We demonstrated such compensation with the experimental device. The simulations also indicate that the phase-matching wavelength band can be shifted and optimized for different crystal lengths.