Ultra-broadband near-infrared NOPAs based on the nonlinear cryst...

We evaluate and demonstrate ultra-broadband near-infrared noncollinear optical parametric amplification in two nonlinear crystals, bismuth borate (BiBO) and yttrium calcium oxyborate (YCOB), which are not commonly used for this application. The spectral bandwidth is of the microjoule level; the amplified signal is ≥ 200 nm, capable of supporting sub-10 fs pulses. These results, supported by numerical simulations, show that these crystals have a great potential as nonlinear media in both low-ener