Upconversion imaging using an all-fiber supercontinuum source

Abstract

In this Letter, the first demonstration, to the best of our knowledge, of pulsed upconversion imaging using supercontinuum light is presented. A mid-infrared (IR) imaging system was built by combining a mid-IR supercontinuum source emitting between 1.8 and 2.6 μm with upconversion detection. The infrared signal is used to probe a sample and mixed with a synchronized 1550 nm laser pulse inside a lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) crystal. The signal is thus upconverted to the 860-970 nm range and acquired on a standard silicon CCD array at a rate of 22 frames per second. In our implementation, spatial features in the sample plane as small as 55 μm could be resolved.