Ultraviolet nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are the key materials to realize the development of ultraviolet solid-state lasers. At present, NLO crystals mainly rely on borate crystals, but the existing NLO crystals could not meet the applications fully. While it is increasingly difficult to find new NLO crystals, so it is particularly urgent to develop new material systems. From the relationship between borate structures and optical and nonlinear optical properties, it can be known that borates which containing planar conjugated groups have the characteristics of large frequency doubling coefficient, suitable birefringence and short UV cut-off edge. Group with planar conjugated configuration is the core functional unit of borate NLO crystals. The study of expanding planar conjugated groups based on geometric configuration is an important idea for exploring new systems of UV nonlinear optical materials. Based on these, our team proposes to expand the exploration scope of UV NLO crystals by studying CO3, NO3, C(NH2)3 groups with planar triangular conjugated structures and HC3N3O3, H2C4N2O3 groups with planar six-member ring conjuated structures. The research results obtained by our team in the exploration of UV crystals of carbonate, nitrate, guanidine, cyanurate and barbiturate in recent years are mainly introduced in this paper.