Single-Crystalline Li2Sn(IO3)6 Microwires: Combining Optical-Waveguiding and Frequency-Doubling Functions

High-quality single-crystalline Li₂Sn(IO₃)₆ microwires (MWs) have been successfully prepared by using a facile hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized Li₂Sn(IO₃)₆ MWs exhibit regular hexagonal prism morphology, excellent surface smoothness, and remarkable diameter uniformity. The optical propagation loss has been determined to be as low as 0.026 dB μm^-1 at 785 nm wavelength, implying the low-loss optical waveguiding capability of the Li₂Sn(IO₃)₆ MWs. The effective frequency-doubling conversions of the fundamental frequency light source in the wavelength range from 916 to 1560 nm have been observed, and the second-harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency has been measured to be 2.1% with a 1560 nm fundamental pump source (pulse duration of 10 ns, and average power of 9.06 nW) transmitted through a 1.32-μm-diameter and 300-μm-length Li₂Sn(IO₃)₆ MW. These intriguing optical waveguiding and strong SHG conversion capabilities of the Li₂Sn(IO₃)₆ MWs suggest its potential applications for photonic devices in micrometer scale.