Single crystals of the nonlinear optical (NLO) material GdAl3(BO3)4 (GdAB) were successfully grown by top-seeded solution growth method in the new flux Al2O3-B2O3-Li2O-NaF. The ultraviolet (UV) cutoff wavelength of GdAB grown from this new flux is approximately 175 nm, which is shorter than 266 nm. Measurement of second-harmonic generation powder suggested that the effect of the as-grown GdAB crystal is 3.5 times greater than that of KDP (KH2PO4), which was unchanged as the crystal grew from a molybdate-based flux. Therefore, the GdAB crystal obtained from the new flux is a promising candidate for NLO materials, which can be used to achieve fourth-harmonic generation in the UV region.

Crystal Growth & Design , 2015