Growth of Beta-BaB2O4 Bulk Crystals and Fibers. (Reannouncement with New Availability Information).

摘要

This paper reviews a series of experiments carried out at Stanford University over a several year period on the growth of Beta-BaB2O4 crystals. Experiments on the bulk growth of Beta-BaB2O4 using the top seeded solution growth method with and without pulling, using Na2O as a solvent, has yielded relatively large boules. Solvent inclusions, however, limit the yield of high optical quality crystals from these boules. Oriented, single crystal fibers of Beta-BaB2O4 have also been growth, from both Na2O and B2O3 solutions, using the laser-heated pedestal growth technique. B2O3 solutions were found to be quite stable under laser heating, and yielded high optical quality single crystal fibers with minimal inclusions. Barium borate is a relatively new and important material for nonlinear optical applications in the visible and ultraviolet regions. It has a number of physical properties which make it particularly attractive. It exhibits large effective SHG coefficients a wide transparent waveband, low dispersion, a large birefringence, high damage thresholds and high optical homogeneity. These properties suggest that barium borate will have important applications, especially in the ultraviolet region.