Welcome to Journal of Synthetic Crystals! Today is Share:

Journal of Synthetic Crystals ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (9): 1547-1557.DOI: 10.16553/j.cnki.issn1000-985x.2025.0078

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Birefringence Enhancement Mechanism and Lattice Engineering Controlling Strategy of YPO4

HAN Yibo(), JI Xu(), JING Qun(), ZHU Xuankai, AIZIZAIMU·WUBULITAYIER , ZHAO Wenhao, CAO Xinjia   

  1. School of Physics Science and Technology,Xinjiang University,Urumqi 830017,China
  • Received:2025-04-14 Online:2025-09-20 Published:2025-09-23
  • Contact: JI Xu, JING Qun

Abstract: Rare-earth phosphates are recognized as novel ultraviolet/deep-ultraviolet optical materials due to their wide bandgaps and excellent optical properties. In this work, two analogous structures (Ⅰ: ICSD No.24514 and Ⅱ: ICSD No.133671) of yttrium phosphate (YPO4) crystals were identified through high-throughput screening of the inorganic crystal structure database (ICSD). First-principles calculations were systematically employed to investigate the electronic structures and optical properties of these compounds. Computational simulations were conducted to verify the feasibility and reliability of regulating bandgap and birefringence in YPO4 crystals through direct lattice parameter manipulation. The results demonstrate remarkable birefringence modulation under lattice engineering: full-dimensional lattice compression to 70% of the original size induced birefringence changes of 0.052 (phase Ⅰ) and 0.057 (phase Ⅱ) at 1 064 nm wavelength, while uniaxial compression along the c-axis (70% strain) yielded 0.029 (phase Ⅰ) and 0.031 (phase Ⅱ). Both PO4 and YO8 groups were found to contribute significantly to the birefringence of YPO4. Atomic-level analysis reveals that P and O atoms predominantly determine the birefringence orientation, whereas Y atoms play a crucial role in modulating the birefringence efficiency through lattice distortion. This systematic investigation confirms the effectiveness of lattice engineering in birefringence regulation, providing novel insights for designing advanced optical materials and expanding application scenarios for nonlinear optical crystals.

Key words: YPO4 crystal; density functional theory; birefringence; lattice engineering; real-space atom cutting; Born effective charge

CLC Number: