The influences of ZnO doping concentration on structure and photorefractive properties of Zn:Fe:LiNbO3 crystals grown by TSSG method

In this paper, LiNbO3 crystals doped with same concentration of Fe2O3 and with different concentration of ZnO have been grown by the top-seeded-solution-growth (TSSG) method. Their IR transmittance spectra, UV-vis absorption spectra, lattice constants, and Curie temperature were measured. In two-wave coupling experiments, writing and erasure time constants, and maximum diffraction efficiency of the crystals were measured and compared with those of congruent LiNbO3 (CLN) crystals doped with same ions. The crystals grown by TSSG method show shorter writing time, erasure time, and lower diffraction efficiency than the CLN crystals. The influences of ZnO doping concentration on photorefractive properties are studied.