Based on a specially designed optical structure, an efficient cascaded third-harmonic-generation（THG） output of a 1064-nm, pico-seconds pulse laser is successively realized by using an NH_4H_2PO_4（ADP） crystal that acts as the secondharmonic-generation component and sum-frequency-generation component. The maximum THG output is 1.61 mJ, and the highest conversion efficiency from 1064 nm to 355 nm reaches 35%, which are obviously superior to the results obtained using a KDP crystal under the same circumstance. The further phase-matching analysis indicates that this THG configuration of ADP crystal can be applied to various fundamental wavelengths in a range of 1 μm–1.1 μm. Compared with the previously reported KDP THG converter, which is based on a similar principle, the present ADP THG converter is favorable for large-energy, high-efficiency operation because of the larger effective nonlinear optical coefficient deffand higher laser damage threshold.
The structural,electronic and optical properties of KNbO 3 （KN）,NaNbO3（NN）and K05 Na0.5NbO3（KNN） in paraelectric cubic phase were calculated employing the plane-wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory （DFT）.The calculated electronic structures of the three crystals show similar features in the valence bands and the lower conduction bands.However,the structures in higher conduction bands differ markedly due to the effect of Na and K atoms.The calculated optical properties reveal that the features of optical spectrum at low energy are dominated by the transitions from O2p valence bands to Nb 4d conduction bands and those at high energy are related to the transitions to K 4s4p and/or Na 3s3p states.Moreover,the optical constants of KNN are approximately the average of KN and NN at high energy.Therefore,the optical properties of KNN in high energy region can probably be altered by changing the ratio of Na/K.
