Thick low-loss orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) samples for mid-infrared laser sources

Nonlinear optical materials play a key role in the development of coherent sources of radiation as they permit the frequency conversion of mature solid-state lasers into spectral ranges where lasers do not exist or perform poorly. The availability of efficient quasi-phasematched infrared materials is thus considered as important for the development of several defense optronics applications. This paper will review the recent progresses we achieved with thick Orientation Patterned-GaAs structures. We will present results obtained in growing thick-layer (500 gm) on 2 cm long structures with very low optical losses (less than 0.02 cm(-1)). This loss coefficient is low enough to allow the realization of a high power OPO in the MIR band.