In Situ Raman Spectroscopy Studies on La2CaB10O19 Crystal Growth

La 2 CaB 10 O 19 (LCB) exhibits excellent nonlinear optical performance. However, the high viscosity of the growth solution and the layer growth habit are the main limiting factors for fabricating large-sized LCB crystals. Raman spectroscopy is an appropriate method to study the microstructures of the crystal growth system at high temperatures, and then interpret the crystal growth mechanism. In situ Raman spectroscopy is applied to obtain the microstructure information on LCB crystal and its growth solution. The growth solution consists of a B 5 O 8 Ø 2 unit which is made up of one B 3 O 4 Ø 2 ring and two BØ 2 O triangles linked by two bridging oxygen atoms. During the LCB crystal growth, the growth units of B 5 O 8 Ø 2 chains are combined to form the two-dimensional layers. The layer growth habit along the c axis is determined by LCB crystal structure, and affected by the specific crystal growth solution.