Since the early 1990's, a substantial effort has been devoted to the development of quasi-phased-matched (QPM) nonlinear devices, not only in ferroelectric oxides like LiNbO3, LiTaO3 and KTiOPO4 (KTP), but also in semiconductors as GaAs, and GaP. The technology to implement QPM structures in ferroelectric oxides has by now matured enough to satisfy the most basic frequency-conversion schemes without substantial modification of the poling procedures. Here, we present a qualitative leap in periodic poling techniques that allows us to demonstrate devices and frequency conversion schemes that were deemed unfeasible just a few years ago. Thanks to our short-pulse poling and coercive-field engineering techniques, we are able to demonstrate large aperture (5 mm) periodically poled Rb-doped KTP devices with a highly-uniform conversion efficiency over the whole aperture. These devices allow parametric conversion with energies larger than 60 mJ. Moreover, by employing our coercive-field engineering technique we fabricate highlyefficient sub-μm periodically poled devices, with periodicities as short as 500 nm, uniform over 1 mm-Thick crystals, which allow us to realize mirrorless optical parametric oscillators with counter-propagating signal and idler waves. These novel devices present unique spectral and tuning properties, superior to those of conventional OPOs. Furthermore, our techniques are compatible with KTA, a KTP isomorph with extended transparency in the mid-IR range. We demonstrate that our highly-efficient PPKTA is superior both for mid-IR and for green light generation-as a result of improved transmission properties in the visible range. Our KTP-isomorph poling techniques leading to highly-efficient QPM devices will be presented. Their optical performance and attractive damage thresholds will be discussed.

In this paper, we present a tailored multiwavelength Yb-fiber laser source in the 1.03 μm spectral region for spatially multiplexed digital holographic acquisitions. The wavelengths with bandwidths below 0.1 nm were spectrally separated by approximately 1 nm by employing fiber Bragg gratings for spectral control. As a proof of concept, the shape of a cylindrically shaped object with a diameter of 48 mm was measured. The holographic acquisition was performed in single-shot dual-wavelength mode with a synthetic wavelength of 1.1 mm, and the accuracy was estimated to be 3% of the synthetic wavelength.

We demonstrate a compact wavelength-stabilized, frequency-doubled Yb-doped double-tungstate laser with widely tunable repetition rate, spanning from 35 Hz to 3 kHz obtained by hybrid Q-switching. The Q-switching unit consisted of a combination of a passive Cr:YAG crystal and an opto-mechanical active intensity modulator. The fundamental wavelength was locked at 1029 nm with a volume Bragg grating, and the pulse length and energy were 42 ns and 250 A mu J, respectively. As the laser was stabilized with the VBG and the opto-mechanical modulator, the frequency instability was reduced six times from free running down to 0.29 %. Frequency doubling was done extra-cavity in PPKTP, and a repetition rate-independent conversion efficiency of 63 % was obtained. The controllable repetition rate together with stable temporal and spatial characteristics makes this laser a suitable candidate in many biology-related experiments, as a pump source for in vivo excitation of fluorophores, e.g., pumping of "living lasers" and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy.

A compact, hybrid Q-switched Yb:KYW laser was frequency doubled in PPKTP with a conversion efficiency of 66%. The laser was frequency locked and stabilized with a volume Bragg grating and the repetition frequency could be varied between 30 Hz and 3 kHz giving pulse energies between 200 and 250 μJ.

This work describes the chemical, mechanical and antibacterial properties of a novel silver nanocluster/silica composite coating, obtained by sputtering, on textiles for use in nuclear bacteriological and chemical (NBC) protection suites and for aerospace applications.

The properties of the coated textiles were analyzed in terms of surface morphology, silver concentration and silver release in artificial sweat and synthetic tap water, respectively. No release of silver nanoparticles was observed at given conditions.

The water repellency, permeability, flammability and mechanical resistance of the textiles before and after sputtering demonstrated that the textile properties were not negatively affected by the coating.

The antibacterial effect was evaluated at different experimental conditions using a standard bacterial strain of Staphylococcus aureus and compared with the behavior of uncoated textiles.

The coating process conferred all textiles a good antibacterial activity. Optimal deposition conditions were elaborated to obtain sufficient antibacterial action without altering the aesthetical appearance of the textiles.

The antibacterial coating retained its antibacterial activity after one cycle in a washing machine only for the Nylon based textile.