KTP and isomorphs ‐ recent progress in device and material development

Abstract

Abstract Potassium Titanyl Phosphate (KTiOPO4) is one of the best nonlinear optical crystals for the frequency doubling of 1.06 μm Nd:YAG lasers. Its large optical nonlinearity, high optical damage threshold and outstanding thermal stability has made it the material of choice for high power industrial and medical laser applications where reliability are of prime importance. Yet, KTP is just one member of the isomorphic compounds having the generic composition MTiOXO4 where {M = NH4, K, Rb, TI and Cs} and {X = P and As}. Along with its isomorphs, KTP offers exceptional versatility for device design and optimization in both bulk- and micro-optical applications. This versatility is directly related to the open covalent crystal structure of KTP. In this paper, we review recent progress in the understanding of the crystal chemistry of the KTP family of isomorphs and summarize recent progress in KTP-based devices.