CY0495 Beta-barium Borate (BBO)

Catalog No.	CY0495
Surface Quality	10/5 scratch/dig per MIL-O-13830A
Perpendicularity	5 arc minutes

Beta-barium Borate (BBO) is a very important nonlinear crystal because of its broad phase-matching range and useful optical transmission. It has a high damage threshold, wide temperature bandwidth, and low thermo-optic coefficient. BBO can be widely used in medical, military, and meteorology fields.

To start the inquiry, please advise the size, θdeg, φdeg, coating, and application.

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Description

Specification

Beta-barium Borate BBO Description

Alpha-Barium Borate (barium metaborate) is a nonlinear crystalline solid used in photo optic applications. Barium borate (BBO) is a nonhydroscopic and chemically stable material. Crystallization takes place in two phases, alpha and beta, and the phase transition temperature equals 925±5°C. The higher temperature phase-alpha is centric symmetrical within its crystal structure, whose square nonlinearity tensor components are identically equal to zero. In contrast to the alpha-phase, the Beta-phase of BBO is non-centric symmetrical and the crystals grown in this phase possess nonlinear optical properties.

Beta-barium Borate BBO Specification

Aperture	1x1 ~ 15x15mm
Length	0.01 ~ 25mm
Phase Matching Angle θ and φ	Determined by different kinds of harmonic generation
Phase Matching Type	Type I or Type II
End Configuration	Flat or Brewster or Specified
Coating	P-coatings, AR-coatings, and mounts
Angle Tolerance	Δθ< ± 0.5°; Δφ< ±0.5°
Dimension Tolerance	(W ± 0.1mm) x (H ± 0.1mm) x (L + 0.2mm/-0.1mm)
Flatness	λ/8 @ 633nm
Surface Quality	10/5 scratch/dig per MIL-O-13830A
Parallelism	better than 20 arc seconds
Perpendicularity	5 arc minutes
Wavefront Distortion	less than λ/8 @ 633nm
Clear Aperture	> 90% central area

Beta-barium Borate BBO Applications

Second, third, fourth and fifth harmonic generation of Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF lasers
Frequency-doubling, -tripling and -mixing of Dye lasers
Second, third and fourth harmonic generation of Ti: Sapphire and Alexandrite lasers
Optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and optical parametric oscillators (OPO)
Frequency-doubling of Argon ion, Cu-vapor and Ruby lasers.

Beta-barium Borate BBO Packing

Beta-barium Borate (BBO) are securely packaged in moisture-resistant, anti-static, and shock-absorbing materials. Custom packaging options, such as cleanroom packaging, are also available for sensitive applications.

Beta-barium Borate BBO FAQs

Q1 What makes BBO ideal for nonlinear optical applications?

BBO is ideal for nonlinear optical applications due to:

Its wide transparency range (190 nm to 3500 nm).
High nonlinear optical coefficient for efficient frequency conversion.
Broad phase-matching capability for tunable wavelength generation.
High damage threshold, suitable for high-power laser systems.

Q2 Are BBO crystals suitable for tunable laser systems?

Yes, BBO crystals are widely used in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) and optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) to generate tunable wavelengths across a wide spectrum, including UV, visible, and IR ranges.

Q3 What makes BBO ideal for scientific research?

BBO’s broad phase-matching range, high nonlinear coefficient, and low absorption make it a preferred choice for cutting-edge research in quantum optics, spectroscopy, and ultrafast laser physics.