NLO Crystals
KTP
APC specializes is the production of very high quality NLO crystals for frequency conversion. We have recently launched hydrothermal KTP, potassium titanyl phosphate for SHG or OPO frequency conversion, and have passed hundreds of hours of high peak power, Q-switched laser input power at 54KHz without gray track damage.
KBBF (in development)
Our hydrothermal KBBF for deep UV laser output has recently been tested at a national laboratory and been demonstrated to reach 185nm; future test will be conducted in a vacuum atmosphere to achieve the limit of 176nm. KBBF is currently under development at our laboratory in Fort Mill, SC. This research supported by the NSF.
Phase I SBIR Award # IIP-0945282, "Hydrothermal Growth of Potassium Beryllium Fluoroborate (KBBF) for deep UV Nonlinear Optical Applications" January 1 , 2010 and expires June 30, 2010.
Phase II SBIR Award # IIP-1058055 "Hydrothermal Growth of Potassium Beryllium Fluoroborate (KBBF)for Deep UV Nonlinear Optical Applications"February 1 , 2011 and expires January 31, 2013.
KBBF Data Sheet
is Supplied by 
Laser Active Crystals
APC has developed hydrothermal Nd:YVO4 ("vanadate") as a Phase II National Science Foundation project and is on track to begin commercializing this laser active crystal next year. Together with the high oxidation state of the vanadate (5+) that is achieved in the closed, hydrothermal environment, as well as the broad wavelength absorption profile, we believe that vanadate will provide a very desirable pathway to higher power output coupled with lower cost diodes. Hydrothermal YAG is under development and information will become available on a continual basis. High energy laser crystals are under development that take advantage of the scandium and lutetium hosts, for enhanced heat shedding capability.
We are currently developing multifunctional laser crystals that are designed to reduce Amplified Spontaneous Emission ("ASE") as a way to increase laser power output.
Vanadate
YAG
High Energy Laser
Multi-Functional Crystals
Hydrothermal crystal growth offers the unique ability to ‘grow layers upon layers’ of crystals. Simply put, once a crystal of desired function is grown, it is placed into another autoclave and grown with another layer of the same host, yet with a different dopant. For example, we can grow a crystal of YAG for a heat sink, then place the crystal into another autoclave and grow a layer of neodymium (Nd) at a particular concentration on top of it, repeat a layer of Nd at a different concentration for a gradient profile, etc.
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Layered Growth/Hydrothermal Epitaxy
