Progress in Chemical Synthesis and Crystal Growth of Irradiation Free Low Absorption ZnGeP 2 for Infrared Nonlinear Conversion

We present our recent progress in the synthesis, growth and post-treatment of low-absorption ZnGeP2. The current residual absorption level at 2 μm is of 0.15 cm-1 without resorting to electron irradiation. We also present our first results on nonlinear frequency conversion and related laser-induced damage threshold measurements.