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Optics Letters

High-efficiency, energy-scalable, coherent 130-nm source by four-wave mixing in Hg vapor

C. H. Muller, Arlee V. Smith, Dennis D. Lowenthal, Mark A. DeFaccio

Published Aug 1, 1988• 35 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Coherent vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) pulses with energy of 1.1 mJ, 2.2-nsec pulse length (2 MW cm−2 unfocused), and measured bandwidth ≤0.1 cm−1 have been achieved at 130 nm from four-wave mixing in Hg vapor. Conversion efficiencies of 5% have been demonstrated in a collimated beam geometry over 1-m interaction lengths. These high efficiencies are made possible by using two-photon-resonant sum-frequency mixing through the Hg 71S level. The experimental facility assembled to produce this efficient VUV source is described, and a comparison between experimental measurements and theory is provided.

DOI
10.1364/ol.13.000651

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Coherent vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) pulses with energy of 1.1 mJ, 2.2-nsec pulse length (2 MW cm−2 unfocused), and measured bandwidth ≤0.1 cm−1 have been achieved at 130 nm from four-wave mixing in Hg vapor. Conversion efficiencies of 5% have been demonstrated in a collimated beam geometry over 1-m interaction lengths. These high efficiencies are made possible by using two-photon-resonant sum-frequency mixing through the Hg 71S level. The experimental facility assembled to produce this efficient VUV source is described, and a comparison between experimental measurements and theory is provided.
Previously we showed1 that two-photon-resonant sum- and difference-frequency mixing in Hg vapor is a practical means of generating coherent light over the 140-120- and 230-185-nm wavelength ranges. Here we consider optimization of the conversion efficiency for such a two-photon-resonant mixing process in general and for generation of 130.2-nm atomic oxygen resonance light in particular. We predict that conversion efficiencies (defined as the energy of the sum frequency divided by the total input light energy) of 5-10% should be possible for 130.2-nm production using unfocused mixing beams. This prediction is being tested in experiments at Spectra Technologies, Inc. Their results are described in a companion paper.
Coherent radiation at several wavelengths in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) has been generated by four-wave parametric oscillation in mercury vapor. When a powerful ultraviolet pump laser of frequency omega(p) is tuned to a two-photon resonance, VUV signal photons at frequency omega(s), as well as idler photons at frequency omega(i), are generated such that omega(s) + omega(i) = 2omega(p). A frequency-doubled dye laser tuned to two-photon resonance with the 6s6d(1)D(2) level near 280.3 nm produced output at 184.9 and 143.5 nm. A tunable krypton fluoride excimer laser tuned to two-photon resonance with the 6s10s (1)S(0) level near 248.7 nm produced output at 140.1, 130.7, 130.1, 125.9, and 125.0 nm. Approximately 1-microJ, 200-W pulses were observed at 143.5 and 125.9 nm.
We report measurements of the absolute yield of 123.6-nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation produced in a resonant four-wave-mixing scheme in krypton enhanced by electromagnetically induced transparency. One of the mixing fields, in the ultraviolet (UV) at 212.55 nm, was in two-photon resonance with the 4p61S0−−4p55p[0,12]{4p}^{6}{}^{1}{S}_{0}--{4p}^{5}5p[0,\frac{1}{2}]4p61S0​−−4p55p[0,21​] transition of krypton, while a second field (the coupling field) at 759 nm was resonant with the ${4p}^{5}5p[0,\frac{1}{2}]{\ensuremath{-}4p}^{5}5s[1,\frac{1}{2}]$ transition. Electromagnetically induced transparency has been predicted to be induced by this coupling field and to enhance the efficiency of the generation of the field at 123.6 nm, on the 4p55s[1,12]{4p}^{5}5s[1,\frac{1}{2}]4p55s[1,21​] to 4p61S0{4p}^{6}{}^{1}{S}_{0}4p61S0​ transition. This was confirmed by measurements of the absolute VUV radiation yield using a calibrated photodiode in the limit of a large density-length product. Energies of \ensuremath{\sim}30 nJ were produced, which gave a conversion efficiency, from the coupling field energy of \ensuremath{\sim}1%. Higher yields are thought to be achievable by increasing the coupling laser intensity, the path length of the medium, and by the use of a transform-limited UV pulse of the same duration as the coupling field.
Summary form only given. The techniques of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) may be employed in order to create an effective nonlinear response at a given wavelength which is equal in magnitude to the linear response at that wavelength. Physically, this allows frequency converters wherein 100% photon-to-photon conversion occurs in a single coherence length, i.e., in that distance which causes a /spl pi/ phase slip between the driving polarization and the generated electromagnetic wave. These ideas were first implemented by Jain et al. (1996), to convert 425 nm to 293 nm, in a medium consisting of a single isotope of Pb. This paper reports the demonstration of a vapor-phase VUV frequency converter from 233 nm to 186 nm with an energy conversion efficiency exceeding 35%; the maximum generated signal energy and power were 250 /spl mu/J and 25 kW. The net conversion efficiency to 186 nm, including all beams, is roughly 2%. These wavelengths were chosen to demonstrate the utility of this type of frequency converter to generate wavelengths outside the transparency window of most crystalline media. Our technique involves the application of two strong laser fields which are almost two-photon resonant with a Raman transition of the Pb atoms.
Abstract We report generation of spectrally bright vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and deep UV (DUV) coherent radiations at the wavelengths of 192 nm, 198 nm and 204 nm. These DUV/VUV radiations originate from resonant four-wave mixing assisted by quantum coherence in tunnel-ionized CO molecules. The electronic coherence is created when the pump pulses resonantly excite electronic transitions of CO+. The technique allows for the selective switch of DUV/VUV wavelengths provided by the abundant energy levels of molecular ions. The developed source can have arbitrary polarization states by manipulating the polarization of the pump pulse. It also exhibits a spectral bandwidth of 5∼7 cm−1, a divergence angle of 3∼5 mrad, a pulse duration of ∼10 ps, and a photon flux of ∼1010 photons/s. The superior temporal and spectral properties give rise to a broadband Raman comb in the DUV/VUV region.