Synthesis of Sm-doped strontium barium niobate crystals in glass by samarium atom heat processing

New glasses giving the crystallization of Sm³⁺-doped Sr_xBa_1−xNb₂O₆ (SBN) ferroelectrics have been developed in the Sm₂O₃−SrO−BaO−Nb₂O₅−B₂O₃ system, and the formation of SBN crystal dots and lines by continuous wave Nd:YAG laser (wavelength:1064 nm, power: 1 W) irradiations, i.e., samarium atom heat processing, has been examined. The formation of Sm³⁺-doped SBN non-linear optical crystals is confirmed from X-ray diffraction analyses, micro-Raman scattering spectra, second harmonic generations, and photoluminescence spectra. Sm³⁺-doped SBN crystal dots with the diameters of 20-70 μm and lines with the widths of 20-40 μm are written at the surface of some glasses such as 10Sm₂O₃·10SrO·10BaO·20Nb₂O₅·50B₂O₃ (mol%) by Nd:YAG laser irradiations with the irradiation times of 20-70 s for the dots and with the scanning speeds of 1-5 μm/s for the lines. The present study suggests that the samarium atom heat processing has a potential for the patterning of optical waveguides consisting of ferroelectric SBN crystals in glass substrates.