Growth and characterization of a nonlinear optical crystal: Bisglycine hydrogen chloride

Single crystals of bisglycine hydrogen chloride (BGHC), a semiorganic nonlinear optical crystal, of dimensions 13×6×4 mm3 were grown in a period of 10 days. The grown crystals were confirmed by powder XRD, FTIR and DSC studies. For the first time, the defect content present in the crystals was estimated by chemical etching studies. The results indicate that the average dislocation density is about 3.1×103/cm2. The load-hardness curves for BGHC were studied over the load range 10-100 g. The UV-Vis. studies indicate that the crystal has a wide transmission range. The Kurtz powder test indicates that the second harmonic generation efficiency of BGHC is almost two times that of KDP.