A new mixed halide, Cs2HgI2Cl2: molecular engineering for a new nonlinear optical material in the infrared region.

A new mixed halide, Cs(2)HgI(2)Cl(2), which contains the highly polar tetrahedron of anion (HgI(2)Cl(2))(2-), has been designed and synthesized by reaction in solution. In its single crystal, the isolated (HgCl(2)I(2))(2-) groups are arranged to form chains. The chains are then further connected into a three-dimensional framework through the Cs atoms that occupy the empty spaces surrounded by halide atoms. All the polar (HgCl(2)I(2))(2-) groups align in such a way that gives a net polarization, leading it to show a phase matchable second harmonic generation (SHG) effect as strong as that of KH(2)PO(4) (KDP) based on the powder SHG measurement. It also displays excellent transparency in the range of 0.4-41 μm with relatively high thermal stability. A preliminary measurement indicates that its laser-induced damage threshold is about 83 MW/cm(2), about twice that of AgGaS(2). This study demonstrates that Cs(2)HgI(2)Cl(2) is a promising nonlinear optical material in the infrared region.