Generation of broadband mid-infrared pulses from an optical parametric amplifier

We report on the direct generation of broadband mid-IR pulses from an optical parametric amplifier. Several crystals with extended IR transparency, when pumped at 800 nm, display a broad phase-matching bandwidth around 1 mum, allowing for the generation of idler pulses spanning the 3-5 mum wavelength range. Using LiIO(3), we produce 2muJ pulses tunable in the 3-4 mum range with bandwidth supporting 30-fs transform-limited duration.