Phase-Matching Second-Harmonic Generation and Enhanced Laser-Induced Damage Threshold Induced by Cs Substitution:...

Chalcophosphates are an important type of infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) candidates in view of their rich anionic motifs. Here, two copper chalcophosphates Cu₃PSe₄ (CPSe) and Cs₂CuP₃S₉ (CCPS) were synthesized and studied as IR NLO materials. They both feature three-dimensional polyanionic frameworks constructed by similar T2-supertetrahedra, and the structure of CCPS can be derived from CPSe via introducing Cs and substituting Se with S. This structural evolution results in phase-matchable NLO behavior, enlarged optical band gap, and enhanced laser-induced damage threshold for CCPS. These results are elucidated by structure analysis and theoretical calculations, and the increased structural anisotropy contributes to the phase matchable behavior of CCPS. This work presents a case on how to adjust NLO properties via certain structure considerations, which may be extended to more systems for obtaining high-performance NLO materials.