Femtowatt incoherent image conversion from mid-infrared light to near-infrared light

We report on the experimental conversion imaging of an incoherent continuous-wave dim source from mid-infrared light to near-infrared light with a lowest input power of 31 femtowatt (fW). Incoherent mid-infrared images of light emission from a heat lamp bulb with an adjustable power supply at window wavelengths ranging from 2.9 µ m to 3.5 µ m are used for upconversion. The sum-frequency generation is realized in a laser cavity with the resonant wavelength of 1064 nm pumped by an LD at 806 nm built around a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal. The converted infrared image in the wavelength range ∼785 nm with a resolution of about 120  ×  70 is low-noise detected using a silicon-based camera. By optimizing the system parameters, the upconversion quantum efficiency is predicted to be 28% for correctly polarized, on-axis and phase-matching light. (paper)