Inrad optics inc

Barium borate-BBO

Barium borate (BBO) is a versatile nonlinear crystal, suitable for use in harmonic generation operations, optical parametric oscillators, and in electro-optical applications from the near infrared to the deep ultraviolet. Among BBO’s attractive features are it’s large nonlinear coefficients, high threshold for laser damage, and low thermo-optic coefficient.

At Inrad Optics, high quality BBO single crystals are grown using a top seeded solution growth technique. Our in-house growth, fabrication, and finishing provide unparalleled material traceability and process consistency.

Popular applications of BBO include generating the third, fourth, and fifth harmonics of Nd:YAG lasers (355nm, 266nm, and 213nm respectively), the second and third harmonics of Ti:Sapphire amplifiers (400nm and 266.7nm), and a variety of sum frequency mixing schemes using dye lasers. BBO can be used in OPO configurations to generate tunable output in the visible to near infrared range. BBO is also well suited to Q-switching and other electro-optical applications in high power UV laser systems.