Single crystals of 5-Br-2-thienyl-4'-methoxychalcone were grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique at room temperature. The crystal system has been confirmed from the powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Optical behavior such as UV-vis-NIR absorption spectra, and second harmonic generation were investigated to explore the NLO characteristics of the material. The laser damage threshold has been measured by using Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The observed value is greater than that of KDP. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.