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CeF3 and PrF3 single crystals are investigated as Faraday rotators for the UV-visible region. Their properties are compared with those of the industrial standard reference terbium-gallium-garnet (TGG) single crystal. In contrast to TGG, CeF3 exhibits a higher transparency in the whole near UV-visible-IR, and a remarkable higher figure of merit which rapidly increases towards the cutoff. In the case of PrF3, the transparency extends to even shorter wavelengths, and analogously to CeF3 its figure of merit increases notably in the UV. These results indicate the potential of CeF3 and PrF3 as optical isolators in the UV-visible, where at present there are no alternative candidates.

High optical quality LiREF(4) (RE = Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Ho(3+), Er(3+) and Yb(3+)), PrF(3) and CeF(3) single crystals have been grown by the Czochralski technique. Their magneto-optical properties have been measured and analyzed in detail in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength region, and their figures of merit as Faraday rotators have been determined. CeF(3) presents superior properties above 300 nm, showing a figure of merit higher than that of the reference material, terbium-gallium-garnet, which is nowadays used in the visible-near infrared. PrF(3) is the best rotator for the 220-300 nm range. Towards shorter wavelength and in the vacuum ultraviolet, it is shown that the LiREF(4) crystals are unique rotators. Overall, the rare-earth fluoride single crystals studied here exhibit better properties than other materials considered so far, and therefore they have potential to cover the increasing demand for new and improved Faraday rotators in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength region.

BaMgF(4) is a ferroelectric fluoride which shows a very wide transparency range extending from 125 nm to 13 microm. The conjunction of these properties confers to BaMgF(4) a unique chance for optical applications in the UV and mid-IR wavelength regions, where other nonlinear materials cannot be used. In particular its application as frequency converter in all solid-state lasers is considered. The wavelength dispersion of the refractive indices along the three optical principal axes is measured in the transparent region, and the Sellmeier coefficients for the three refractive indices are determined. The conditions for nonlinear optical processes are calculated for birefringent-matching and quasi phase-matching, with special emphasis in the UV and IR wavelength regions. Quasi phase-matching can be achieved in the whole transparent wavelength region, in contrast to birefringent-matching, which can be obtained in a limited range 573-5634 nm. First demonstration of second harmonic generation by quasi phase-matching with a ferroelectric fluoride is shown by frequency-doubling the emissions of a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser and a tunable Ti:sapphire laser. The shortest emission is obtained in the UV at 368 nm, indicating the potential of BaMgF(4) as nonlinear medium for the fabrication of all solid-state lasers in the vacuum-UV/UV and mid-IR wavelength regions.