Ultraviolet nanosecond laser-assisted micro-modifications in lithium niobate monitored by Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript> luminescence

This work reports on the microstructural modifications produced by nanosecond ultraviolet ablation in neodymium doped lithium niobate crystals. The neodymium ions have been used as optical probes to determine the extension and nature of the modified bulk material. From micro-luminescence experiments we have been able to determine the spatial distribution of the UV ablation induced material densification, local disorder and defect creation. Results have been compared to those previously obtained from femtosecond irradiated lithium niobate crystals. PACS 42.55.Rz; 42.62.Fi; 42.70.-a     

非线性光学晶体铌酸钾锂的二次谐波产生

研究铌酸钾锂晶体的近经这过光谱：利用铌酸钾锂晶体对８９０￣９６０ｎｍ的Ｔｉ：ｓａｐｐｈｉｒｅ近红外激光进行倍频,获得蓝得蓝绿光输出;研究了晶体的倍频特性,探讨了提高晶体倍频效率的方法。     

Near-field-optical-microscopy studies of micro-modifications caused by femtosecond laser irradiation in lithium niobate crystals

Near-field-optical-microscopy has been used to study the micro-modifications caused by femtosecond laser pulses focused at the surface and in the volume of lithium niobate crystals. We have found experimental evidence of the existence, close to femtosecond ablation craters, of periodic modifications in the surface reflectivity. In addition, the potential application of near-field-optical microscopy for the spatial location of permanent modifications caused by femtosecond pulses focused inside lithium niobate crystals has been also demonstrated.     

Effect of broadband incoherent light on the photoresponse of lithium niobate crystals

The effect of broadband incoherent light on the local photoresponse of lithium niobate crystals has been experimentally investigated. It is shown that a previously induced electric field affects the dependence of the photovoltage on time and impurity type and concentration. The pyroelectric effect significantly influences the photoprocesses in lithium niobate crystals, especially in the initial stage of illumination.     

LiNbO3:Fe晶体二波耦合弱光放大的物理机理

对LiNbO₃: Fe晶体中二波耦合过程进行了动态观测.进一步探讨了LiNbO ₃:Fe晶 体中弱光放大的物理机理.发现LiNbO₃ : Fe晶体中二波耦合过程的弱光放大 对c轴指 向有明显的依赖关系，虽然光生伏打效应对光生载流子的迁移有主要贡献，但扩散机理的贡 献仍不可忽略.弱光最终得到放大是瞬态能量转移与扩散机理引起的能量转移的共同贡献.弱 光放大达到准稳态之后的下降过程为瞬态能量转移的时间指数衰减过程与光散射引起的能量 耗散的共同贡献. 关键词： 光折变效应 光放大 掺杂铌酸锂     

Anomalies in the pyroelectric properties of LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystals of the congruent composition

A number of anomalies are revealed in the temperature dependence of the primary pyroelectric coefficient for single-domain crystals of lithium niobate LiNbO₃ in the temperature range 310–330 K. It is shown that these anomalies are associated with the transformation of the domain structure of the lithium niobate crystals. The problem regarding the correct performance of the pyroelectric measurements and the possible influence of the observed effects on the optical properties of lithium niobate crystals and on the recording of optical phase holograms are discussed.     

Manifestation of the specific structural features of lithium niobate single crystals of different composition in their Raman spectra

The Raman spectra of nominally pure lithium niobate single crystals of congruent, close to stoichiometric, and stoichiometric compositions and congruent lithium niobate single crystals doped with Gd³⁺, Y³⁺, and Mg²⁺ ions have been investigated. Weak lines whose widths anomalously decrease with an increase in cation sublattice disordering at a change in the single crystal composition were found for the first time. These lines may be indicative of fine ordering processes involving structural units of the cation sublattice, as a result of which this sublattice is disordered as a whole.     

Structural examination of lithium niobate ferroelectric crystals by combining scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy

The structure of lithium niobate single crystals is studied by a complex technique that combines scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. By implementing the piezoresponse force method on an atomic force microscope, the domain structure of lithium niobate crystals, which was not revealed without electron beam irradiation, is visualized     

Investigation of the stability of electrical properties of reduced LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystals

The instability of the electrical properties of lithium niobate single crystals of congruent composition subjected to reducing thermochemical treatment has been investigated by impedance spectroscopy. It has been shown that the subsequent heating of the reduced lithium niobate samples in dry air up to 380 K or higher is accompanied by the progressive increase in their electric resistance, which is due to the oxidization of the crystal surface layers.     

A Fe[Nb]-Li center in stoichiometric LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystals: Mechanism of formation

A new iron center in stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals has been studied by the EPR method. The angular dependences of the EPR spectrum of the center have been used to derive the parameters of its spin Hamiltonian. The data amassed on the variation in the concentrations of two iron centers in lithium niobate crystals annealed in a Li₂CO₃ powder have provided an insight into the mechanism of formation of the new center, as well as corroborated its model proposed by us earlier. According to this model, the center represents a complex of two defects aligned with the polar axis in the crystal: the iron ion at the niobium site and an interstitial lithium ion filling the nearest structural vacancy (Fe³⁺[Nb]-Li⁺[V]). The structure of other Fe³⁺ centers revealed earlier in LiNbO₃ crystals, in which the iron ion occupies the niobium site, has been discussed.     

Spectral separation of Cr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> optical centers in stoichiometric magnesium-doped lithium niobate crystals

The broadband luminescence of chromium optical centers with strongly overlapping spectral lines and similar emission probabilities from excited ⁴ T ₂ states of red and green Cr³⁺ centers in stoichiometric magnesium-doped lithium niobate crystals has been separated for the first time. The spectral-luminescence characteristics and parameters of intracenter interaction between red and green optical Cr³⁺ centers in stoichiometric lithium niobate have been calculated. The luminescence quantum efficiencies of red and green chromium centers are determined.     

Diffraction grating fabrication in lithium niobate and KDP crystals with femtosecond laser pulses

We report studies of the modifications induced inside lithium niobate and KDP crystals by Yb:KGW ultrafast laser pulses, having 300-fs pulse duration and operating at 100-kHz repetition rate. By focusing the laser beam with a 0.42 numerical-aperture objective, we have recorded homogeneous volume Bragg gratings in the bulk of the niobate crystal that showed excellent diffraction efficiencies, reaching up to 87%, and remained permanent after thermal annealing for one hour at 150°C. The refractive index modification level was found to be 0.002 in lithium niobate. The results show that lithium niobate is a very promising crystal candidate for microphotonics applications. On the contrary, in the KDP crystal no smoothly modified refractive index zones were created.     

Investigation of the physical properties of piezo-and ferroelectric crystals by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and topography

The acoustic properties of lanthanum-gallium tantalate crystals and the polar properties of ferroelectric lithium niobate crystals have been investigated by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and topography. It is shown that analysis of the diffraction spectra of acoustically modulated crystals makes it possible to determine the acoustic amplitudes and power flow angles. It was also demonstrated that investigation of the domain structure in ferroelectric crystals under the conditions of the inverse piezoelectric effect allows one to study the domain structure.     

Thermally induced surface self-segregation of the chemical composition in sodium niobate: Auger spectroscopy and secondary electron emission study

The thermally induced self-segregation (TISS) of the chemical composition in sodium niobate single crystals has been investigated by Auger spectrometry and secondary-electron emissiometry. The high efficiency of these methods for studying fine features of TISS processes has been confirmed. Comparative analysis of TISS in sodium and potassium niobates, having perovskite structure, is performed within the liquid-phase TISS model. The difference for these compounds is that excess sodium is accumulated on the surface of sodium niobate, whereas excess niobium is accumulated on the surface of potassium niobate. This distinction is explained by the higher potassium vapor pressure in comparison with sodium.     

Formation of nanodomain structures in lithium niobate as a result of pulsed laser irradiation

The surface nanodomain structures formed in lithium niobate single crystals as a result of pulsed irradiation of polar surfaces with UV and IR lasers have been investigated. The structures formed have been classified. The main features of the domain kinetics during one-dimensional growth at strong deviation from equilibrium have been revealed. A mechanism of polarization switching is proposed and discussed.     

Growth of KLN fiber crystals and its application for blue-violet light geration

Potassium lithium niobate (KLN) fiber crystals have been grown by μ-pulling down method. The KLN fibers doubled around 806 nm radiation for type I noncritical phase matching at room temperature. We observed ～0.6 mW output power from single-pass second harmonic generation at an input power of 700 mW.     

Linear and nonlinear light localization within photorefractive photonic superlattices in lithium niobate

Some features of discrete diffraction of light, which manifest themselves in the possibility of its linear and nonlinear localization in one or several waveguide elements, in photorefractive photonic superlattices optically induced in lithium niobate crystals, and in planar optical waveguides based on this material, have been experimentally investigated.     

Two-mode nature of the Raman spectrum of lithium niobate crystals

The ordering of the host and impurity cations in nominally pure (with different values of Li/Nbratio) and doped lithium niobate crystals is studied using Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that depending on the composition-controlled ordering of structural units of the cationic sublattice the crystal may exhibit, in the region of bridge stretching vibrations of the oxygen ions, either single-mode or two-mode behavior. The nominally pure lithium niobate crystals show, within the homogeneity region, single-mode behavior, while the crystals doped with divalent or trivalent cations show single-mode behavior at low concentrations of the dopant and two-mode behavior at higher concentrations.     

The temperature properties of matching Gaussian beam in biased two-photon centrosymmetric paraelectric photorefractive crystals

The effects of temperature on the intensity profiles and self-deflection of matching Gaussian beam in biased two-photon centrosymmetric paraelectric photorefractive crystals are investigated by numerical simulation. The results show that the matching Gaussian beam can involve into a stable solitary wave after some propagation distance. The peak intensity decreases and the width of the matching Gaussian beam increases as temperature rises. The absolute value of the bending distance decreases monotonically with increasing of temperature. The crystal proposed here is potassium lithium tantalite niobate (KTN).     

Formation of submicron partially ordered domain structures in ferroelectric and magnetic materials

Formation of domains and partially ordered periodic domain structures in ferroelectric and magnetic oxides of metals of transition groups has been investigated. Physical features of appearance of submicron periodic domain structures and possibilities of their use for the control over the parameters of high-frequency acoustic waves have been considered using the example of single crystals of lithium niobate and lanthanum-strontium manganites.