Photoluminescence of Copper-Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals

The photoluminescence (PL) of copper-doped lithium niobate single crystals is studied using different UV–Vis light-emitting diodes and a pulse-periodic laser with a wavelength of 266 nm as excitation radiation sources. With the resonance excitation from a 527-nm light-emitting diode, the intensity of PL increases sharply (by two orders of magnitude). When using a 467-nm light-emitting diode for excitation, the PL spectrum is characterized by the presence of multiphonon lines in the range of 520–620 nm.     

非化学计量比铌酸钾锂晶体的光谱特征

用顶部籽晶法生长了一批不同组成的铌酸钾锂晶体。利用近红外cw: Ti-sapphire激光研究了三种组成的经过精细抛光的晶体样品的二次谐波性质,结果表明晶体的二次谐波效应与晶体组成密切相关,Li含量越高的样品倍频效率越高。利用红外Raman光谱技术调查了晶体非线性晶格振动特征,分析了晶体中组分离子浓度对晶体红外Raman光谱特征的影响,探讨了组分离子对晶体二次谐波性质影响的原因。结果表明,晶体中位于C格位的Li离子浓度对晶体Raman光谱产生了强烈的影响,低Li含量晶体中[NbO₆]7-八面体所对应的3个Raman特征光谱线没有峰发生分裂;当晶体中Li离子浓度增加时,ν₅所对应的Raman峰有所加宽,ν₂振动模式出现分裂峰,并在100～400 cm-1范围出现小峰数量增多;当Li离子浓度接近铁电相边界时,[NbO₆]7-八面体结构接近解体,ν₅所对应的Raman峰分裂成3个峰,ν₁和ν₂振动模式发生部分分裂,在100～400 cm-1范围小峰更为突出。这些影响的本质在于晶体中Li含量的提高导致晶体中[NbO₆]7-八面体畸变程度加大,与晶体非线性光学性质相一致。     

Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering in Congruent Lithium Niobate Crystals

Raman scattering spectra in the frequency range of 5–75 cm^–1 in lithium niobate samples with various structural imperfections were obtained. It is shown that the intensity of quasi-elastic light scattering on the wing of the Rayleigh line demonstrates an exponential dependence on the concentration of large-scale defects in the samples. Calibration curves for the intensity of quasi-elastic scattering dependence at low frequencies on the acoustic quality factor are constructed.     

Light-Induced Photorefractive Waveguides in Iron-Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals

Waveguides were fabricated in lithium niobate crystals solely by light irradiation using binary optical masks and SLM-prepared optical masks. Arrayed-waveguides were also obtained by once or twice irradiations of an interferogram of two plane waves.     

Giant Birefringence of Lithium Niobate Crystals in the Terahertz Region

Terahertz time-domaln spectroscopy （THz-TDS） is used to study the spectral response of lithium niobate crystals （LiNbO3） in the far infrared region. The optical constants are derived from the measured complex refractive index. A giant birefringence is observed in this material, and the average refractive-index difference between the ordinary wave and the extraordinary wave, no - ne, can reach up to about 1.6. Such a large birefrlngence is attributed to the different p honon modes orAl（z） and E （ x , y ）. This unusual property makes LiNbO3 a promising material to be used as a functional material in the terahertz region, e.g. employed as wave-plates and polarization separators.     

Raman Scattering on the Effective Soft Mode for Lithium Niobate Crystals

The evolution of Raman spectra in a wide range of temperatures that includes the ferroelectric transition point in lithium niobate single crystals is studied for polarization geometry X(ZZ)Y. In this geometry, the soft mode responsible for the phase transition distinguished by 1A₁(TO)-type symmetry should appear in the spectra. Experimental studies show that the 1A₁(TO) mode interacts resonantly with nonfundamental modes in the low-frequency region of the spectrum. Near the ferroelectric phase transition point, an isofrequency opalescence effect is observed that consists of an abrupt increase in Raman signal intensity at fixed frequencies near the excitation line.     

Red Laser-Induced Domain Inversion in MgO-Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals

A laser beam at wavelength 647nm is focused on a sample of 5mol% MgO-doped lithium niobate crystal for domain inversion by a conventional external electric field. In this case, a reduction of 36% in the electric field required for domain nucleation （nucleation field） is observed. To the best of our knowledge, it is the longest wavelength reported for laser-induced domain inversion. This extends the spectrum of laser inducing, and the experimental results are helpful to understand the nucleation dynamics under laser illumination. The dependence of nucleation fields on intensities of laser beams is analysed in experiments.     

Light-Induced Domain Inversion in Mg-Doped near Stoichiometric Lithium Niobate Crystals

We investigate the influence of visible light on domain inversion in Mg-doped near stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals and find that the switching electric field decreases about 70% above a threshold light intensity. This effect helps us optically control domain switching and produce bulk domain structures on the micrometre scale. Finally, we introduce a model of photo-induced carriers to explain the origin of the reduction of switching electric field.     

近化学计量比铌酸锂晶体的晶格振动和相变软模研究

在室温下,近化学计量比铌酸锂晶体(S-LN)的拉曼散射研究从理论和实验上揭示了晶格空位对于拉曼光谱的影响。高温下,随着温度的升高,软模(5的拉曼峰变化非常强烈。一个软光学声子模来源于在铌-氧平面内的三重简并对称弯曲振动。顺电-铁电结构相变发生在大约1170℃。     

Potential Images of Ferroelectric Domain Structures Formed by Electron Beam in Lithium Niobate Crystals

Ferroelectric domain structures formed by an electron beam in lithium niobate crystals are studied using low-voltage SEM microscopy. The structures are formed in crystals with different conductivity, including samples with high-resistance congruent composition (CLN) and samples with conductivity increased by reductive annealing (RLN). The potential nature of the contrast of the domain structures observed in the secondary electron mode depending on the conductivity of the samples and the direction of spontaneous polarization of the domains is analyzed. It is assumed that the domain contrast in CLN crystals is associated with long-lived charges localized near domain walls and in the irradiated areas. The recorded domain structures in the CLN crystals are visualized on polar and nonpolar cuts. In the RLN crystals with improved conductivity compared to CLN, the potential contrast of the periodic domain structures is found only on the polar cuts, where vector P_s of the domains is perpendicular to the irradiated surface. This contrast is likely because the field of the spontaneous electric polarization charges influences the secondary electrons.     

周期极化铌酸锂中通信波段纠缠双光子的波长管理方法

理论研究了周期极化铌酸锂晶体中通过自发参量下转换产生的纠缠双光子的波长管理方法.简并自发参量下转换产生的单色偏振纠缠双光子的波长,可以通过调整晶体的极化周期或工作温度自由地调节,特别是在加工好的晶体中极化周期是确定的,因而调整晶体的工作温度更加便捷.对于双色偏振纠缠双光子来说,不需改变入射的泵浦光以及晶体的极化结构,仅通过调节晶体的工作温度就可以实现o光光子和e光光子波长的严格交换.     

Manifestation of a Photorefractive Effect in the Raman Scattering Spectra of Lithium Niobate Crystals of Variable Composition

Using the Raman scattering spectra, we investigated the ordering of the structural units in the cation sublattice and the photorefractive properties of lithium niobate single crystals of variable composition, i.e., nominally pure ones with different Li/Nb ratios and those doped with the nonphotorefractive cations Mg²⁺, Gd³⁺, and Y³⁺. It is shown that at low concentrations of Mg²⁺, Gd³⁺, and Y³⁺ the magnitude of the photorefractive effect is substantially determined by the ordering of the structural units of the cation sublattice. It has been found for the first time that the intensity of the line corresponding to the bridge valence vibrations of oxygen atoms in the octahedrons of NbO₆ is sensitive to the dipole ordering of the cation sublattice of the crystal. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 5, pp. 611–614, September–October, 2005.     

The Synthesis and Characterisation of Nanocrystalline Lithium Niobate

Nanocrystalline LiNbO₃ powder with grain sizes below 10 nm have been successfully prepared using wet chemical techniques, namely the polymer precursor method (and variations of it) and a double alkoxide sol-gel method. These have grain sizes of 4.5 nm and 1.6 nm respectively which, as far as we are aware, are the smallest nanocrystals of LiNbO₃, produced to date. The materials have been characterised using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (EXAFS) and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and compared to samples prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling, which have also been characterised by these techniques.     

Modeling and Characterization of Border Domain Effects in Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Crystals Grown by the Off-center Czochralski Technique

We report on the optical characterization of periodically poled lithium niobate crystals grown through the Czochralski off-center technique. The optical diffraction technique pointed out that refractive index changes occur at the border domain. Their effect on the second harmonic generation is therefore investigated by numerical analysis in order to predict the conversion efficiency of the grown crystals.