Noncollinear optical frequency doubling in strontium barium niobate

The observation of a novel noncollinear optical second-harmonic generation mechanism is reported. In strontium barium niobate crystals, a circular cone of second-harmonic light is generated when a fundamental beam of intensive laser light is directed along the crystallographic c axis. It can be shown that the effect is caused by the nonlinear polarization of antiparallel ordered ferroelectric microdomains.     

Polarization and depolarization of relaxor ferroelectric strontium barium niobate

The anomalies of polarization (mismatch of hysteresis loops for several first repolarization cycles, the absence of specific coercive field, etc.) in quasi-static and dc electric fields have been found in the strontium barium niobate relaxor ferroelectric. The anomalies are associated with a highly inhomogeneous structure of the crystal, which is considered a clearly defined nonergodic system with a random distribution of strong local internal fields. The energy distributions of potential barriers for the polarization and the depolarization are obtained at different electric field strengths and temperatures.     

Nanocrystals formation on Ho doped strontium barium niobate glass

The study of two different methods to obtain strontium barium niobate nanocrystals immersed in a glass matrix has been carried out. Ho₂O₃-doped SrO-BaO-Nb₂O₅-B₂O₃ glasses were fabricated using the melt quenching method. Glass ceramic samples were obtained from the precursor glass by thermal treatment in a furnace and by laser irradiation. These glass ceramic samples are formed by a glassy phase and a crystalline phase of strontium barium niobate nanocrystals. This structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Atomic Force Microscope images. The incorporation of Ho³⁺ ions in the strontium barium niobate nanocrystals were corroborated by optical measurements, which produced an increment in the luminescence intensity compared to the precursor glass.     

Photorefractive properties of ion-implanted waveguides in strontium barium niobate crystals

0.61 Ba_0.39Nb₂O₆, SBN61), either by proton or helium ion implantation. Proton-implanted samples show a large increase of dark conductivity that reduces or even prevents the recording of refractive index gratings. For waveguides formed by helium implantation this effect is absent, and they can be used for efficient holographic recording. Photorefractive properties of the waveguides are investigated by two-beam coupling. After implantation with 2.0 MeV He⁺ and doses of (0.5-5)×10¹⁵ cm^-2, the samples have to be polarized again, because heating or charge effects at the crystals surface during the implantation process decreases or even reverses the effective electrooptic coefficients in the waveguiding layer. For repoled samples, we find logarithmic gain coefficients of up to 45 cm^-1 with time constants for the build-up of the purely π/2-shifted refractive index grating of the order of 1 ms for the blue lines of an Ar⁺ laser. Photoconductivity depends nonlinearly on light intensity with an exponent x≈0.55. With increasing implanted helium dose, both electronic and nuclear damage of the waveguiding layer grows, and the photorefractive properties of the waveguides are considerably degraded. Received: 20 February 1997/Revised version: 1 May 1997     

Parametric holographic scattering processes in photorefractive strontium–barium niobate

Light-induced holographic scattering is investigated in photorefractive Sr_0.61Ba_0.39Nb₂O₆ (SBN) crystals, in which diffusion charge transport dominates. A crystal is illuminated with two coherent pump beams and different scattering patterns are observed on a screen behind the crystal. We attribute the patterns to certain phase-matching conditions, which allows the identification of the parametric processes that are involved . PACS 42.65.Hw; 42.70.Nq     

铁电钾钠铌酸锶钡薄膜电光性能的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法在氧化镁单晶衬底上制备了符合化学计量比的完全填充型铁电钾钠铌酸锶钡(KNSBN)薄膜，通过X射线衍射，摇摆曲线，X射线Φ扫描，扫描电子显微镜等方法研究了薄膜的微结构，采用Adachi法研究了薄膜的电光特性. 实验发现，KNSBN薄膜在氧化镁(001)单晶衬底上沿c轴外延生长，K⁺，Na⁺的引入有效地提高了薄膜的横向电光系数r₅₁. 成分为K_0.2Na_0.2Sr_0.24Ba_0.56Nb₂O₆, K_0.2Na_0.2Sr_0.6Ba_0.2Nb₂O₆, K_0.2Na_0.2Sr_0.72Ba_0.08Nb₂O₆的三种KNSBN薄膜的r₅₁值分别为108.52pm/V, 119.98pm/V, 126.96pm/V，r₅₁的数值随Sr²⁺含量增加而增大. 关键词： 横向电光系数 钾钠铌酸锶钡 外延生长     

Ferroelectric properties of strontium barium niobate crystals doped with rare-earth metals

The influence of doping of the Sr_xBa_1?x Nb₂O₆ (x=0.61) crystals (SBN-0.61) by rare-earth element (RE) dopants has been investigated. Taking into account the data available in the literature, it is demonstrated that the introduction of all rare-earth metals is accompanied by a substantial decrease in the temperature of the phase transition T _p and an increase in its smearing. The shift in the T _p temperature for certain rare-earth metals ranges up to 20 K per atomic percent of dopant in the crystal. It is experimentally established that, in the SBN-0.61: Yb, SBN-0.61: Ce, SBN-0.61: Tm, SBN-0.61: La, and SBN-0.61: (Ce + La) crystals, a decrease in T _p brings about a considerable increase in the permittivity and the piezoelectric and electrooptical coefficients. The conclusion is drawn that the doping by rare-earth metals provides a means of optimizing the properties of strontium barium niobates. The pulse switching of the SBN-0.61 and SBN-0.61: RE crystals is studied for the first time. It is found that the switching is characterized by a number of features, the most important of which is a decrease in the switched charge after the application of external fields. This effect associated with the specific features of the switching in the relaxor ferroelectric is assumed to be responsible for the instability of the parameters for strontium barium niobate material.     

Near-infrared photorefractivity in Cr-doped potassium sodium strontium barium niobate single crystal

We report on the photorefractive properties of a Cr-doped (K_1–x Na _x )_2A–2 (Sr _y Ba_1–y )_2–A Nb₁₀O₃₀ (x=0.586, y=0.659, A=1.12) single crystal in the near-infrared spectrum. The sample exhibits photorefractivity for wavelengths up to at least 840 nm where the steady-state two-beam coupling gain is found to be larger than 2 cm^–1. Photorefractive gain and decay rate are measured as a function of wavelength, grating spacing and intensity. The wavelength dependence of gain fluctuations in two-beam coupling are also measured.     

Scanning probe microscopy investigation of ferroelectric properties of barium strontium niobate crystals

The ferroelectric properties of relaxor ferroelectric materials Sr _x Ba_{1 − x} Nb₂O₆ of different compositions have been investigated using scanning probe microscopy and macroscopic polarization methods. An analysis of the results obtained from microscopic and macroscopic measurements of the hysteresis loops has demonstrated that a frequency dependence of the coercive field E _c is observed at frequencies f in the range from 0.03 to 250 Hz, so that the coercive field E _c regularly decreases with decreasing frequency. The observation of the kinetics of domains under a direct-current voltage applied to the probe of the atomic force microscope has revealed a lateral motion of domain walls in response to electric fields E ≪ E _c . This result qualitatively explains a slow polarization relaxation occurring for a giant time in Sr _x Ba_{1 − x} Nb₂O₆.     

Analysis of electrooptically induced waveguides in strontium barium niobate and optical modulators

An electrooptically induced optical waveguide can be formed by applying a DC voltage between electrodes fabricated on the surface of a crystal with strong electrooptic coefficients (for example, strontium barium niobate). Calculations of the refractive index profile and the optical mode size for such waveguides are presented. Approximate solutions for the fundamental mode are used to analyse the power coupling between a single-mode step-profile fibre and these waveguides. The power transmission losses in the straight and S-shaped waveguides are estimated by using a finite-difference beam propagation method (FD-BPM). The calculations predict that a new kind of modulator/switch can be realized with the induced waveguides. The important characteristics of these devices are discussed and compared with LiNbO₃ optical waveguide modulators.     

Conoscopic interferometry for probing electro-optic coefficients of strontium calcium barium niobate crystal

The relation between the linear electro-optic effect and conoscopic interference has been investigated in a biased electro-optic crystal strontium calcium barium niobate (CSBN). Based on the change of interference patterns with applied field, an interferometric method for probing electro-optic coefficients of electro-optic crystals has been proposed. In our case, the linear electro-optic coefficients of CSBN:50 was first probed at γ₃₃=(141.0±0.5)×10⁻¹² m/V and γ₁₃=(85.0±0.5)×10⁻¹² m/V.     

Glassy properties of the relaxor ferroelectric strontium barium niobate at low temperatures

Relaxor ferroelectrics are known to show a low-temperature behaviour that quantitatively resembles the features of canonical glasses. In order to get a comprehensive characterisation of the responsible low-energy excitations, single crystals of strontium barium niobate were investigated below 10 K. The density of localised states was obtained from heat capacity, and their coupling to phonons from sound velocity and thermal conductivity. The presence of slowly relaxing systems could be estimated from heat release data, respectively.

In contrast with structural glasses, however, SBN and further relaxor ferroelectrics show an energy dependent density of states and an upper limit of the relaxation time spectrum. Considering these properties, which appear to be typical also for other glassy crystals, a modification of the standard tunneling model is proposed.     

On the permittivity of barium strontium niobate, a photosensitive relaxor ferroelectric

The permittivity ? of the photosensitive relaxor ferroelectric Sr_0.61Ba_0.39Nb₂O₆ doped with La and Ce is studied both in the dark and under illumination with a power density of up to 0.22 W/cm² in the wavelength range 400–500 nm of the absorption spectrum of the crystal. The permittivity ? is measured at frequencies of 1 kHz and 1 MHz, as well as under a dc electrical bias of 2 kV/cm at different temperatures. It is found that the permittivity ? exhibits a photoinduced increase (photodielectric effect), which reaches a maximum in the temperature range of the maximum permittivity and is proportional to the illumination power density. The specific features of the observed photodielectric effect and the possible influence of the screening of random internal nonuniform electric fields by photoinduced carriers on this phenomenon are discussed.     

Lanthanide-doped strontium barium niobate (SBN) materials: A vibrational investigation

Vibrational Raman spectra have been measured for strontium barium niobate (Sr_0.5Ba_0.5Nb₂O₆, SBN50) single crystals and nanopowders doped with 1 mol% of the luminescent ions Eu³⁺ and Er³⁺. The nanocrystalline materials show slightly broader spectra with respect to the single crystals with the same composition. The presence of the Eu³⁺ and Er³⁺ ions at the 1 mol% doping level, and the present particle size (200 nm) do not appear to affect the ferro-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature typical of undoped SBN50 single crystals, as detected from anomalies in the dependence of the position of the Raman peak around 635 cm^?1 as a function of the temperature.     

Beam amplification resulting from non-Bragg wave mixing in photorefractive strontium barium niobate

Two-wave mixing with a small angle between beams in a photorefractive crystal biased with an external electric field leads to the formation of additional non-Bragg orders and to wave amplification. A steady-state gain of 25 cm (-1) was obtained for an external voltage of 3 kV/cm in strontium barium niobate. Noise amplification and oscillation are also demonstrated.     

高择优取向铌酸锶钡薄膜的射频磁控溅射制备

采用溶胶-凝胶法在(100)Si单晶上预先制备出掺钾(K)的铌酸锶钡(SBN)缓冲层，利用射频磁控溅射法在缓冲层KSBN上沉积出高择优取向的铌酸锶钡薄膜，获得了磁控溅射法制备择优取向铌酸锶钡薄膜的相关工艺参数，研究发现，KSBN缓冲层能够很有效地克服衬底与SBN薄膜之间较大的晶格失配，在氧气氩气的比例为1∶2，工作气压为10 Pa，溅射功率300 W，衬底温度300℃，退火温度为800℃的工艺条件下，能够获得c轴高度择优取向的铌酸锶钡铁电薄膜.利用X射线衍射仪，原子力显微镜等仪器分析了薄膜     

高择优取向铌酸锶钡薄膜的射频磁控溅射制备

采用溶胶-凝胶法在(100)Si单晶上预先制备出掺钾(K)的铌酸锶钡(SBN)缓冲层,利用射频磁控溅射法在缓冲层KSBN上沉积出高择优取向的铌酸锶钡薄膜,获得了磁控溅射法制备择优取向铌酸锶钡薄膜的相关工艺参数,研究发现,KSBN缓冲层能够很有效地克服衬底与SBN薄膜之间较大的晶格失配,在氧气氩气的比例为1∶2,工作气压为10 Pa,溅射功率300 W,衬底温度300℃,退火温度为800℃的工艺条件下,能够获得c轴高度择优取向的铌酸锶钡铁电薄膜.利用X射线衍射仪,原子力显微镜等仪器分析了薄膜 关键词： 磁控溅射 高择优取向 p-n结效应     

Observation of bright spatial photorefractive solitons in a planar strontium barium niobate waveguide

We have obtained stationary bright spatial solitons in a planar photorefractive strontium barium niobate waveguide for visible light ranging from 514.5 to 780 nm. Even for larger wavelengths (lambda=1047 nm) strong self-focusing of the beam was observed; however, input power had to be some orders of magnitude higher than for visible light for self-focusing to occur. Furthermore, we found transient self-trapping of red light (lambda=632.8 nm) that corresponds to the formation of bright quasi-steady-state solitons.     

Transverse modulational instability of periodic light patterns in photorefractive strontium barium niobate crystal

Interference fringes produced by the intersection of two plane waves in photorefractive strontium barium niobate crystal break in the transverse direction if the external electric field is high enough. For a certain relation between fringe spacing and nonlinearity strength, the tendency to regular pattern formation has been observed. We present a simple theory that qualitatively explains this effect.     

Thermally induced self-focusing and optical beam interactions in planar strontium barium niobate waveguides

We present an experimental study of thermally induced self-focusing effects and interactions of incoherent light beams in strontium barium niobate waveguides. Depending on the input power, a single parallel beam is strongly focused inside the sample up to diameters of several micrometers. For higher input power we observe the splitting of the beam in a sequence of several spots. We demonstrate that these thermally induced refractive-index patterns can be used to focus and deflect an incoherent guided probe beam in the waveguide with time constants below 1 ms.