Growth and Characterization of Yttrium Calcium Oxy Borate (YCOB) Single Crystals for Nonlinear Optical Applications

The growth of yttrium calcium oxy borate (YCOB) single crystals by the flux technique is reported. Polycrystalline YCOB sample was synthesized and confirmed. Differential thermal analysis was carried out with lithium carbonate flux. The growth of YCOB crystals by flux technique was attempted and several crystals with dimensions of 3×3×5 mm³ were obtained. Powder XRD analysis confirms the formation of YCOB crystal. The sharp cutoff at 220 nm is observed in the UV‐VIS‐NIR analysis. The EDAX spectrum reveals the formation of ‘flux‐free’ crystal. The FTIR spectrum indicates the presence of all peaks that are characteristic of the YCOB crystal. The results are discussed in detail.

Keywords:

• crystal growth
• YCOB
• characterization methods
• powder XRD
• DTA
• UV‐VIS‐NIR
• EDAX
• FTIR

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, for providing the financial assistance to carry out the work.