Investigation of nonlinear optical properties in α-A2BB′O6 (A = Li, Na, K; B = Ti, Zr, Hf; B′ = Se, Te) by first-principles calculations

Abstract

Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals based on oxides typically have wide bandgaps and large laser damage thresholds (LDTs), which are important for generating high-power and continuous terahertz radiation. Recently, a new family of NLO materials α-A₂BB′O₆ including Li₂TiTeO₆ (LTTO) with a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of 26 × KH₂PO₄ (KDP) and a large LDT of 550 MW cm⁻² were reported. Herein, we systematically study the electronic structures and NLO properties of α-A₂BB′O₆ (A = Li, Na, K; B = Ti, Zr, Hf; B′ = Se, Te) to explore the relationship between the structure and SHG coefficient. First, 15 members of the A₂BB′O₆ family are demonstrated to be highly stable and NLO materials, excluding K₂TiTeO₆, K₂TiSeO₆ and K₂ZrSeO₆. Then, the electronic band structure, dipole moment and distortion of BO₆/B′O₆ octahedrons, SHG coefficient and terahertz absorption spectrum are calculated comprehensively with the element variation of A-site, B-site and B′-site. Finally, the magnitude of the SHG coefficient is found to be directly proportional to the value of total dipole moment and distortion, and inversely proportional to the bandgap value. Most importantly, among the A₂BB′O₆ materials, K₂HfSeO₆ shows the smallest direct bandgap of 2.99 eV, the largest SHG coefficient d₃₃ of about 5 × LTTO and low terahertz absorbance from 0.1 to 9 THz. Our results provide new NLO crystals that may have potential application in terahertz radiation sources and other nonlinear electronics.