Induced Li-site vacancies and non-linear optical behavior of doped lithium niobate crystals

Abstract

Second-order non-linear optical (NLO) properties of doped lithium niobate (LN) crystals (abbreviated as M:LN, where M = Mg2+, Zn2+, and In3+, respectively) have been quantitatively studied from the chemical bond viewpoint. Our results show that the second-order NLO response of doped LN crystals decreases remarkably with increasing dopant concentration in the crystal. The approximately linear composition-property correlation in these doped LN crystals is quantitatively expressed in the current work. A comparison of the different influences of Mg, Zn and In dopants. respectively, shows that these dopants affect the NLO properties of LN crystals mainly via the number of Li-site vacancies induced. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.