Salt-based approach for frequency conversion materials

A salt-based approach for the development of frequency conversion materials is presented. Salts are generally rugged materials due to their strong ionic bonding. A high degree of chemical substitution (both of anion and cation) is possible, including highly nonlinear organic ions. This flexibility is consistent with the use of empirical survey techniques to identify promising candidate materials. We describe in detail our experimental approach and present examples of nonlinear optical crystals we have identified in our materials surveys.