Abstract: β-KGd(WO4)2 crystal attracts a lot of attention owing to its excellent properties for acting as both laser host and Raman gain medium.High optical-quality KGW crystals were grown by the TSSG (top-seeded solution-growth) method, with the size larger than 60 mm and the weight more than 800 g, and the optical homogeneity was measured to be 1.34×10-5.During the processes of crystal growth, several defects such as inclusions, holes and cracks were observed, and the formation reasons of them were discussed.Based on the grown KGW crystals, 1151.3 nm Raman laser was obtained with the power of 80 mW and Raman shift of 898.2 cm-1.

Key words: β-KGd(WO4)2 crystal attracts a lot of attention owing to its excellent properties for acting as both laser host and Raman gain medium.High optical-quality KGW crystals were grown by the TSSG (top-seeded solution-growth) method, with the size larger than 60 mm and the weight more than 800 g, and the optical homogeneity was measured to be 1.34×10-5.During the processes of crystal growth, several defects such as inclusions, holes and cracks were observed, and the formation reasons of them were discussed.Based on the grown KGW crystals, 1151.3 nm Raman laser was obtained with the power of 80 mW and Raman shift of 898.2 cm-1.