Bottom seeded solution growth of near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 single crystals

Near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 single crystal has been grown by bottom seeded solution growth (BSSG) technique for the first time. A vertical temperature gradient furnace was employed with a maximal axial temperature gradient of about 80 °C/cm and congruent LiNbO3 crystals were used as seeds. Near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 crystal up to 25 mm in diameter and 40 mm in length was obtained from the high temperature solution of the K2O–Li2O–Nb2O5 system. The voids were the main defects in the crystal. The molar ratio of Li2O:Nb2O5 in as-grown LN crystal was estimated as 49.6:50.4 based on the measurement of Curie temperature. The absorption edge and the lattice constants were also measured. The growth results show that the BSSG technique is a promising approach to grow near-stoichiometric LiNbO3 single crystals.