Growth and characteristics of near-stoichiometric Zn:LiNbO3 crystals grown by TSSG method

A series of near-stoichiometric Zn:LiNbO3 (Zn:NSLN) crystals were grown by the top seed solution growth (TSSG) method using K2O as flux. Defect structures and Zn2+ occupation mechanism were analyzed and discussed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), ultraviolet-visible (UV) absorption and infrared (IR) spectrum measurement. Moreover, we also found that the threshold concentration of ZnO in NSLN were between 2 and 3 mol%.