NH4 Be2 BO3 F2 and γ-Be2 BO3 F: Overcoming the Layering Habit in KBe2 BO3 F2 for the Next-Generation Deep-Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Materials

Guang Peng; Ning Ye; Zheshuai Lin; Lei Kang; Shilie Pan; Min Zhang; Chensheng Lin; Xifa Long; Min Luo; Yu Chen; Yu-Huan Tang; Feng Xu; Tao Yan

doi:10.1002/anie.201803721

NH₄ Be₂ BO₃ F₂ and γ-Be₂ BO₃ F: Overcoming the Layering Habit in KBe₂ BO₃ F₂ for the Next-Generation Deep-Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Materials

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2018 Jul 16;57(29):8968-8972. doi: 10.1002/anie.201803721. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Authors

Guang Peng^{1

2}, Ning Ye¹, Zheshuai Lin³, Lei Kang³, Shilie Pan⁴, Min Zhang⁴, Chensheng Lin¹, Xifa Long¹, Min Luo¹, Yu Chen¹, Yu-Huan Tang^{1

2}, Feng Xu^{1

2}, Tao Yan¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Optoelectronic, Semiconductors and Efficient Devices, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China.
² University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
³ Beijing Center for Crystal R&D, Key Lab of Functional Crystals and Laser Technology of, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
⁴ Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 40-1 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, 830011, China.

PMID: 29752873
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201803721

Abstract

KBe₂ BO₃ F₂ (KBBF) is still the only practically usable crystal that can generate deep-ultraviolet (DUV) coherent light by direct second harmonic generation (SHG). However, applications are hindered by layering, leading to difficulty in the growth of thick crystals and compromised mechanical integrity. Despite efforts, it is still a great challenge to discover new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials that overcome the layering while keeping the DUV SHG available. Now, two new DUV NLO beryllium borates have been successfully designed and synthesized, NH₄ Be₂ BO₃ F₂ (ABBF) and γ-Be₂ BO₃ F (γ-BBF), which not only overcome the layering but also can be used as next-generation DUV NLO materials with the shortest type I phase-matching second-harmonic wavelength down to 173.9 nm and 146 nm, respectively. Significantly, γ-BBF is superior to KBBF in all metrics and would be the most outstanding DUV NLO crystal.

Keywords: beryllium; borates; deep ultraviolet light; nonlinear optics; second harmonic generation.