The crystal structure, refractive indices, and phase-matching conditions for a new nonlinear optical material, L-histidine tetrafluoroborate (HFB), are reported. HFB grows readily, displays favorable mechanical characteristics, and has adequate birefringence to permit phase-matched parametric processes over much of its transparency range (250 nm to 1300 nm). The phase-matching loci and angular sensitivity for second-harmonic generation of 1064-nm light in single crystals of HFB were measured. The effective nonlinearity for HFB is comparable with that of beta-barium borate (~2 pm/V), and its angular sensitivity [delta(Deltak)/deltatheta] is somewhat smaller.
Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) in nonlinear crystals has the potential to produce extremes of peak and average power but is limited either in energy by crystal growth issues or in average power by crystal thermo-optic characteristics. Recently, large (7.5 cm diameter x 25 cm length) crystals of yttrium calcium oxyborate (YCOB) have been grown and utilized for high-average-power second-harmonic generation. Further, YCOB has the necessary thermo-optic properties required for scaling OPCPA systems to high peak and average power operation for wavelengths near 1 microm. We report what is believed to be the first use of YCOB for OPCPA. Scalability to higher peak and average power is addressed.
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