Nonlinear Optical Crystals for Ultraviolet and Infrared Frequency Conversion
This community develops single-crystal materials that convert laser light to different wavelengths, primarily for use in ultraviolet and infrared lasers.
The work centers on synthesizing and characterizing inorganic crystals, particularly borates, fluorides, and sulfates, to achieve strong second-harmonic generation and large birefringence. Researchers focus on structural engineering, such as orienting π-conjugated units and optimizing band gaps, to balance nonlinear response with thermal stability and damage thresholds. Key applications include deep-ultraviolet frequency conversion and mid-infrared generation, with specific attention to overcoming the trade-off between high nonlinearity and optical anisotropy.
The community is most prominent in research tracked for potassium, where it represents 0.8% of all potassium research, and rubidium, where it accounts for 1.3% of that element's research. It also appears in barium and strontium research, contributing 0.8% and 0.7% of those respective fields.
The community comprises 8,149 papers, published most frequently in Inorganic Chemistry, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, and Journal of Crystal Growth.
Recent work includes the development of vacuum ultraviolet second-harmonic generation crystals, such as NH4B4O6F, and the design of hybrid fluorides with giant optical anisotropy. Newer studies also explore deep-ultraviolet transparent sulfonamide fluorides and mid-infrared nonlinear crystals using band-orientation strategies.