Optical and electrical studies of non-linear optical crystal: Potassium boro-oxalate

The optically transparent and bulk single crystal of potassium boro-oxalate (KBO) was grown by slow evaporation technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the crystal system and determined lattice parameters. The optical properties of the KBO crystal were determined using UV–vis spectroscopy. Optical constants such as the refractive index, the extinction coefficient, electric susceptibility and optical conductivity were determined from UV–vis spectroscopy. The refractive index of the grown crystal was determined using the Brewster angle method. The presence of various functional groups was verified from the FTIR spectrum. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss were measured as a function of different frequencies and temperatures. The AC electrical conductivity study revealed that the conduction depended both on the frequency and the temperature. The electrical properties such as plasma energy, Penn gap, Fermi energy and polarizability were calculated to analyze second harmonic generation (SHG). Second harmonic generation (SHG) of KBO crystal was investigated by Kurtz powder technique.