Monoclinic α-BiB₃O₆ (α–BIBO) single crystals have excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. They find numerous applications in second harmonic generators (SHG), optical parametric oscillators (OPO) and other NLO devices [1]. In the past there were taken efforts to dope α-BIBO with rare earths (RE) active ions (Nd³⁺, Yb³⁺) to create a material joining both NLO and lasing properties. It would lead to self frequency doubling (SFD) applications. Unfortunately it was shown that the level of RE doping of α phase is insufficient [2]. According to Aleksandrovsky et al. [3] another BiB₃O₆ NLO phase, namely orthorhombic δ-BIBO, can be also crystallized from the stoichiometric melts. Moreover it was shown recently that the δ phase, despite its higher density than in case of α phase, can be efficiently doped with some RE ions such as Nd³⁺ [4]. It was proved that some RE dopants can stabilize the orthorhombic δ-BIBO phase, probably due to the fact that it is isostructural to REB₃O₆ [5]. This distinctive feature of δ-BIBO allows to obtain significantly high doping level of some RE³⁺ cations, reaching up to 15 at.% for La, Pr, Ce and Nd.

Our investigations were devoted to synthesis of δ-BIBO phase doped with Pr³⁺ ions as a material for photoinduced SHG experiments. To obtain δ-BIBO:Pr³⁺ samples two approaches were used. Single crystal growth was carried out by Kyropoulos technique from stoichiometric melts under conditions of low temperature gradients, while δ-BIBO powders were synthesized by means of sol-gel Pechini method by citric way [6]. In current work we describe the details of δ-Bi_1-xPr_xB₃O₆ samples synthesis (x = 0.025 and 0.075) and their XRD characterization, determining precise lattice parameters of orthorhombic phase using Cohen method [7]. Samples obtained by Pechini method were also characterized by calculating crystallite size and lattice strain using Williamson-Hall method [8] comprised to Scherrer formula. Photoinduced SHG of YAG: Nd³⁺ 1.064 µm laser radiation in obtained δ-BIBO:Pr³⁺ samples was investigated similarly to the method described in Ref [9]. Obtained results show that Pr³⁺ doping increases NLO properties of δ-BIBO.

1. V. Petrov, M. Ghotbi, O. Kokabee, A. Esteban-Martin, F. Noack, A. Gaydardzhiev, I. Nikolov, P. Tzankov, I. Buchvarov, K. Miyata, A. Majchrowski, I.V. Kityk, F. Rotermund, E. Michalski, M. Ebrahim-Zadeh, Laser and Photonic Reviews, 4 (2010) 53.

2. A. Brenier, I.V. Kityk, A. Majchrowski, Opt. Commun., 203 (2002) 125.

4. D.A. Ikonnikov, A.V. Malakhovskii, A.L. Sukhachev, A.I. Zaitsev, A.S. Aleksandrovsky, V. Jubera, Opt. Mater., 34 (2012) 1839.

5. R. Cong, T. Yang, Z. Lin, L. Bai, J. Ju, F. Lian, Y. Wang, J. Lin, J. Mater. Chem., 22 (2012) 17934.

6. M.P. Pechini, Method of preparing lead and alkaline earth titanates and niobates and coating method  using the same to form a capacitor, United States Patent Office, USA 1967.

8. G.K. Williamson, W.H. Hall, Acta Metallurgica, 1 (1953) 22.

9. A. Majchrowski, J. Ebothe, E. Gondek, K. Ozga, I.V. Kityk, A.H. Reshak, T. Lukasiewicz, J. Alloys Compounds, 485 (2009) 29.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/29630 must be provided.

1. Phonon properties and structural phase transitions in ferroelectrics - high pressure Raman scattering studies
2. Elastic properties of KGd(WO₄)₂ : Ho³⁺ single crystals studied by Brillouin spectroscopy
3. SiC nanocrystals embedded in polymer matrix : a new electro-optical nanocomposite