Threshold Effects and Anomalies in the Physical Characteristics of LiNbO3:ZnO Crystals

Resumo

We have studied the structural and optical characteristics and radiation hardness of LiNbO₃:ZnO crystals containing ~0.15–5.9 mol % ZnO. The results demonstrate that anomalies in composition dependences of their structural and optical characteristics and radiation hardness are closely interrelated with threshold effects in the LiNbO₃:ZnO crystals. We have confirmed the presence and determined the exact position of two concentration thresholds: at low dopant concentrations (~1.17 mol % ZnO in the crystals) and intermediate ones (~4.8 mol % ZnO in the crystals). Composition dependences of structural parameters for the crystals near the main concentration threshold (~6.8 mol % ZnO in the melt) have been determined with appreciably higher accuracy than before.