Light-induced polaronic absorption at low temperature in pure and (Fe, Ce, Cr) doped SrxBa1-xNb2O6 or Ba1-yCayTiO3 crystals and photodissociation of VIS centers into small polarons

Abstract

Congruent SBN and BCT crystals doped with Fe, Cr, Ce to enhance photorefractive properties, are investigated at low temperature (T>1 K) under illumination with Ar+- and Kr+-laser light. Light-induced absorption changes in a wide spectral range from UV to IR indicate photoinduced charge transfer processes from impurities to polaronic centers. Broad NIR absorptions (at about 0,7 eV) associated with Ti3+ polarons in BCT or with Nb4+ polarons in SBN are observed and their non-linear behaviour with illumination intensity, polarization and temperature is described on the basis of the simple model for the photo charge transport (in SBN: Ce3+ Nb5+ <----> Ce4++ Nb4+). A broad visible absorption VIS (at about 2 eV) appearing together with the NIR polarons, is shown by photodissociation (with a Kr+-laser) to consist at least partly of small polarons (in BCT and SBN).