Lithium triborate

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Lithium triborate
LiB3O5.png
__ Li +     __ B 3+     __ O 2−
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
PubChem CID
  • InChI=1S/B3O5.Li/c4-1-7-3(6)8-2-5;/q-1;+1
    Key: VCZFPTGOQQOZGI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • [Li+].B(=O)OB([O-])OB=O
Properties
LiB3O5
Molar mass 119.37 g·mol−1
AppearanceColorless crystalline solid
Density 2.747 g/cm3
Melting point 834 °C (1,533 °F; 1,107 K)
1.5656
Structure
Orthorhombic
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Lithium triborate (LiB3O5) or LBO is a non-linear optical crystal. It has a wide transparency range, moderately high nonlinear coupling, high damage threshold and desirable chemical and mechanical properties. This crystal is often used for second harmonic generation (SHG, also known as frequency doubling), for example of Nd:YAG lasers (1064 nm → 532 nm). LBO can be both critically and non-critically phase-matched. In the latter case the crystal has to be heated or cooled depending on the wavelength.

Contents

Lithium triborate was discovered and developed by Chen Chuangtian and others of the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has been patented. [1]

Chemical properties

Applications of lithium triborate (LBO) crystal

Lithium triborate (LBO) crystals are applicable in various nonlinear optical applications: [2]

Related Research Articles

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Nonlinear optics (NLO) is the branch of optics that describes the behaviour of light in nonlinear media, that is, media in which the polarization density P responds non-linearly to the electric field E of the light. The non-linearity is typically observed only at very high light intensities (when the electric field of the light is >108 V/m and thus comparable to the atomic electric field of ~1011 V/m) such as those provided by lasers. Above the Schwinger limit, the vacuum itself is expected to become nonlinear. In nonlinear optics, the superposition principle no longer holds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nd:YAG laser</span> Crystal used as a lasing medium for solid-state lasers

Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) is a crystal that is used as a lasing medium for solid-state lasers. The dopant, neodymium in the +3 oxidation state, Nd(III), typically replaces a small fraction (1%) of the yttrium ions in the host crystal structure of the yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), since the two ions are of similar size. It is the neodymium ion which provides the lasing activity in the crystal, in the same fashion as red chromium ion in ruby lasers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titanium-sapphire laser</span> Type of laser

Titanium-sapphire lasers (also known as Ti:sapphire lasers, Ti:Al2O3 lasers or Ti:sapphs) are tunable lasers which emit red and near-infrared light in the range from 650 to 1100 nanometers. These lasers are mainly used in scientific research because of their tunability and their ability to generate ultrashort pulses thanks to its broad light emission spectrum. Lasers based on Ti:sapphire were first constructed and invented in June 1982 by Peter Moulton at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optical parametric amplifier</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yttrium aluminium garnet</span> Synthetic crystalline material of the garnet group

Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG, Y3Al5O12) is a synthetic crystalline material of the garnet group. It is a cubic yttrium aluminium oxide phase, with other examples being YAlO3 (YAP) in a hexagonal or an orthorhombic, perovskite-like form, and the monoclinic Y4Al2O9 (YAM).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optical parametric oscillator</span>

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This is a list of acronyms and other initialisms used in laser physics and laser applications.

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Second-harmonic generation (SHG), also known as frequency doubling, is the lowest-order wave-wave nonlinear interaction that occurs in various systems, including optical, radio, atmospheric, and magnetohydrodynamic systems. As a prototype behavior of waves, SHG is widely used, for example, in doubling laser frequencies. SHG was initially discovered as a nonlinear optical process in which two photons with the same frequency interact with a nonlinear material, are "combined", and generate a new photon with twice the energy of the initial photons, that conserves the coherence of the excitation. It is a special case of sum-frequency generation (2 photons), and more generally of harmonic generation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium dideuterium phosphate</span> Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightwave Electronics Corporation</span>

Lightwave Electronics Corporation was a developer and manufacturer of diode-pumped solid-state lasers, and was a significant contributor to the creation and maturation of this technology. Lightwave Electronics was a technology-focused company, with diverse markets, including science and micromachining. Inventors employed by Lightwave Electronics received 51 US patents, and Lightwave Electronics products were referenced by non-affiliated inventors in 91 US patents.

References

  1. U.S. patent 4,826,283 (issued in 1989), 2023845 in Japan and CN88102084.2 in China.
  2. LBO crystal applications at www.eksmaoptics.com