Increased optical damage resistance of Zr:LiNbO3 crystals

Zr: LiNbO3 crystals has been grown. The crystal composition and phase are analyzed by X-ray diffration. The optical damage resistance ability of Zr: LiNbO3 crystals is studied by the Senarmont compensation method and the transmitted beam pattern distortion method. The saturated value of the birefringence change of 6 mol% Zr: LiNbO3 crystal is 1.01×10-4, which is seven times smaller than that of congruent pure LiNbO3 crystal. The results of UV-Visible and IR absorption spectra of Zr: LiNbO3 crystals powerfully confirm that the optical damage resistance threshold concentration of the Zr4+ ions doped in LiNbO3 crystals is about 6 mol% in the melt. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)