A supercontinuum radiation source comprises: a radiation source, an optical amplifier and a non-linear optical medium. The radiation source is operable to produce a pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier is configured to receive the pulsed radiation beam and increase an intensity of the pulsed radiation beam. The non-linear optical medium is configured to receive the amplified pulsed radiation beam and to broaden its spectrum so as to generate a supercontinuum radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply a pump radiation beam to a gain medium, an intensity of the pump radiation beam being periodic and having a pump frequency that is an integer multiple of the frequency of the pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply pump energy to a gain medium only when the pulses of the pulsed radiation beam propagate through the gain medium.

A supercontinuum radiation source for an alignment mark measurement system comprises: a radiation source; illumination optics; a plurality of waveguides; and collection optics. The radiation source is operable to produce a pulsed radiation beam. The illumination optics is arranged to receive the pulsed pump radiation beam and to form a plurality of pulsed sub-beams, each pulsed sub-beam comprising a portion of the pulsed radiation beam. Each of the plurality of waveguides is arranged to receive at least one of the plurality of pulsed sub-beams beam and to broaden a spectrum of that pulsed sub-beam so as to generate a supercontinuum sub-beam. The collection optics is arranged to receive the supercontinuum sub-beam from each of the plurality of waveguides and to combine them so as to form a supercontinuum radiation beam.

A supercontinuum radiation source comprises: a radiation source, an optical amplifier and a non-linear optical medium. The radiation source is operable to produce a pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier is configured to receive the pulsed radiation beam and increase an intensity of the pulsed radiation beam. The non-linear optical medium is configured to receive the amplified pulsed radiation beam and to broaden its spectrum so as to generate a supercontinuum radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply a pump radiation beam to a gain medium, an intensity of the pump radiation beam being periodic and having a pump frequency that is an integer multiple of the frequency of the pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply pump energy to a gain medium only when the pulses of the pulsed radiation beam propagate through the gain medium.

A microstructured optical fiber for generating supercontinuum light. The optical fiber includes a core and a cladding region surrounding the core. The optical fiber includes a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section as well as an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section has a core with a first characteristic core diameter larger than about 7 ?m. The second fiber length section has a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber includes a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to the second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length. Also, a supercontinuum light source including an optical fiber and a pump light source.

An Nd.sup.3+ optical fiber laser and amplifier operating in the wavelength range from 1300 to 1450 nm is described. The fiber includes a rare earth doped optical amplifier or laser operating within this wavelength band is based upon an optical fiber that guides light in this wavelength band. The waveguide structure attenuates light in the wavelength range from 850 nm to 950 nm and from 1050 nm to 1150 nm.

An optical resonator (100) comprises an optical waveguide device (10) having an optical axis (OA) and extending with a longitudinal length between two waveguide end facets (11), resonator mirrors (13) being arranged for enclosing a resonator section (14) of the optical waveguide device (10), and a ferrule (20) having two ferrule facets (21), wherein the optical waveguide device (10) is mounted to the ferrule (20) and the ferrule (20) extends along the full longitudinal length of optical waveguide device (10). Furthermore, an optical apparatus (200) including the optical resonator (100) and a method of manufacturing the optical resonator (100) are described.

A uniform temperature profile is provided across the width of the core of a ribbon fiber laser or amplifier by the use of insulating elements at the core edges and a spatially variable gain in the fiber core. High average power ribbon fibers, enable a variety of applications such as practical laser cutting and beam combining.

A supercontinuum radiation source comprises: a radiation source, an optical amplifier and a non-linear optical medium. The radiation source is operable to produce a pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier is configured to receive the pulsed radiation beam and increase an intensity of the pulsed radiation beam. The non-linear optical medium is configured to receive the amplified pulsed radiation beam and to broaden its spectrum so as to generate a supercontinuum radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply a pump radiation beam to a gain medium, an intensity of the pump radiation beam being periodic and having a pump frequency that is an integer multiple of the frequency of the pulsed radiation beam. The optical amplifier may supply pump energy to a gain medium only when the pulses of the pulsed radiation beam propagate through the gain medium.

An optical system including a laser system for generating a plurality of coaxial laser beams. The laser beams are combined by the laser system for generating at least two different frequency components. One or more hollow core photonic crystal fibers each filled with a noble gas receive the coaxial laser beams from the laser system and generate an idler emission having an idler frequency component according to four-wave mixing of the at least two different frequency components in the one or more hollow core photonic crystal fibers. A control system is configured to control a gas pressure of the one or more hollow core photonic crystal fibers for controlling the idler frequency component of the idler emission.

A microstructured optical fiber for generating supercontinuum light. The optical fiber includes a core and a cladding region surrounding the core. The optical fiber includes a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section as well as an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section has a core with a first characteristic core diameter larger than about 7 ?m. The second fiber length section has a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber includes a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to the second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length. Also, a supercontinuum light source including an optical fiber and a pump light source.