Effect of praseodymium on the optical, structural and dielectric properties of <101> directed kdp crystals grown by sr method

The Praseodymium doped potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (KDP) crystals were grown by Sankaranarayanan-Ramasamy (SR) method and slow evaporation technique with the vision to improve the properties of the crystal. The chemical composition of the grown crystals is confirmed by EDAX Analysis. The grown crystal was characterized by PXRD analysis confirm the crystalline nature and shifts in peak positions due to doping is observed. Using Scherer's equation particle size has been calculated. The SHG efficiency is determined by Kurtz powder technique. It is found that relative SHG conversion efficiency of crystal grown by SR method is greater compared to other technique. The UV-Vis spectrum shows that percentage transmission of crystals grown by SR method is greater compared to slow evaporation. The electronic band transition is studied from the plot of (αhv)2 versus photon energy (hv) and the band gap energy has been calculated. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity of the crystal were studied as a function of frequency and the results are discussed. The functional groups are identified by FT-Raman analysis. The Optical transmission and SHG studies shows the suitability of the ingot for optical applications.