Title

Synthesis, Growth And Assessment Of Mixed Niobate-Borate (Xyb2O6) Compounds

Abstract

Consideration of the ternary phase relationships between components of the XYB2O6 borates, where X = Na, K, Rb, or Cs and Y = Nb or Ta, suggest that the conditions for their optimal single-crystal growth can be determined from predicted pseudo-binary phase diagrams. Several compounds have been synthesized on the basis of the predicted Nb2O5: Rb(K)2B4O7 pseudo-binary systems and single crystals of KNbB2O6 (KNB) and RbNbB2O6 (RNB) grown for the first time by spontaneous nucleation from their self-fluxes. Larger crystals of RNB were grown and these also had a better optical quality. Small crystals of alkali-substituted KNB (Cs0.3K0.7NB) and RNB (Na0.07Rb0.93NB and K0.44Rb0.56NB) were also grown by spontaneous nucleation to provide additional information on the structure-property relationships of the XYB2O6 compounds. Single crystals of both KNB and RNB measuring approximately 20×10×10 mm3 were grown by top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) using the same melt compositions as used in spontaneous nucleation. These crystals contained large densities of bubbles and solvent inclusions. However, small (5×5×3 mm3) defect-free samples could be cleaved from these crystals. Even larger single crystals (approximately 38×33×6 cm3) of RNB were grown by TSSG from an Rb2MoO4 flux and these were free of inclusions. The potential of these single crystals for application in nonlinear optical devices was assessed by X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, laser damage threshold and efficiency of second harmonic generation at 532 nm.

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Publication Title

Journal of Crystal Growth

Volume

220

Issue

3

Number of Pages

263-274

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-0248(00)00613-8

Socpus ID

0034515116 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/0034515116

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