Thermal and nonlinear optical properties of Ca4YO(BO3)(3)

Ca4YO(BO3)(3) (YCOB) crystals have been grown using the vertical Bridgman m ethod. The thermal properties of YCOB were measured for the First time to o ur knowledge. The specific heat is 729.7 J/kg K at 373K. The average therma l expansion coefficients along the a, b and e axes are 9.9x10(-6) K, 8.2x10 (-6) /K and 12.8x10(-6) K, respectively, in the temperature range of 293-11 73K. The thermal conductivities along the a, b and c axes are 1.83W/mK, 1.7 2W/mK and 2.17W/mK at 373K. The anisotropy in the measured thermal conducti vties of YCOB is consistent with the experimental results of the thermal ex pansion. The SIM of a Nd: YAG laser was compared with that of a KDP crystal . The effective nonlinear coefficients (d(ctt)) of YCOB in type I phase mat ching directions of (0, phi)=(66.3 degrees. 143.5 degrees) and (65.9 degree s, 36.5 degrees) were estimated to be 1.45pm/V and 0.91pm/V, respectively. The bulk damage threshold was observed as 85GW/cm(2) for single Pulse of a Nd:YAG laser with 10ns Pulse duration.