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20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier
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High-Performance Second-Harmonic-Generation (SHG) Materials: New Developments and New Strategies.
Jin Chen1,2, Chun-Li Hu1, Fang Kong1
1State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
Accounts of Chemical Research
|May 27, 2021
Summary
Developing novel noncentrosymmetric (NCS) crystals is crucial for second-harmonic-generation (SHG) applications. This study presents four rational molecular design strategies to create NCS crystals with enhanced SHG performance, offering new avenues for high-energy laser generation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Crystallography
- Optics
Background:
- Second-harmonic-generation (SHG) requires noncentrosymmetric (NCS) crystal structures for frequency doubling of light.
- Existing SHG materials often have limitations in performance or specific properties.
- Developing novel NCS crystals with superior SHG performance is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of SHG materials and highlight features of excellent SHG materials.
- To present four facile and rational molecular design strategies for developing novel NCS crystals.
- To explore methods for enhancing SHG intensity, birefringence, and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT).
Main Methods:
- Design and synthesis of novel NCS crystals based on specific anionic and cationic components.
- Strategies include combining π-conjugated anions, incorporating highly polarizable cations, utilizing polyiodate anions, and employing aliovalent substitution.
- Hydrothermal reactions under phosphoric acid medium were used for synthesizing metal polyiodates.
Main Results:
- Developed metal borate nitrates with strong SHG effects by combining BO3^3- and NO3^- anions.
- Enhanced SHG effects and birefringence in QO4-based compounds by introducing Hg^2+ and Bi^3+.
- Synthesized metal polyiodates with strong SHG effects, observing structural changes with increasing iodate groups.
- Achieved new metal iodates with balanced properties (large SHG, wide band gap, high LIDT) via aliovalent substitution and fluoride incorporation.
Conclusions:
- The presented molecular design strategies provide facile and rational pathways to novel NCS crystals with outstanding SHG performance.
- The developed materials demonstrate significantly large SHG intensities, exceeding those of conventional materials like KDP and KTP.
- Further research into SHG materials holds promise for advancements in laser technology and related optical applications.
