A promising birefringent crystal Ba2Na3(B3O6)2F

Bulk crystals of Ba2Na3(B3O6)2F (BNBF) have been successfully grown by top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) technique. Its transmittance spectra show a wide transparency range from 186 nm to 3000 nm. The refractive indices in 13 wavelengths were measured with high accuracy and the Sellmeier equations were obtained, which demonstrated that the title crystal displayed a birefringence (Δn = 0.1030 at 588 nm) comparable to that of the commercial birefringent crystal α-BBO (the high temperature form of BaB2O4). A prototype Glan-Taylor polarizer made of BNBF prisms was fabricated, which showed high transparency and large optical extinction ratio similar to the commercial polarizer made of α-BBO. In addition, BNBF crystal is less moisture sensitive than that of α-BBO, thus BNBF can be a potential new birefringent crystal.