Abstract

It has been reported that Sc₂O₃ doping of LiNbO₃ reduces the level of blue-green light induced photorefractive damage, as compared to undoped LiNbO₃.¹ This is analogous to the well-known effect of MgO addition to LiMbO₃. The major difference between the Mg and Sc cations is their valence. This effect has also been reported with zinc doping, but it is believed that scandium is the first trivalent cation to reduced photorefractive damage in LiNbO₃. The strong influence of mobile carriers on the photoreactive properties, as shown in Fe:LiNbO₃ demonstrates the importance of the dopant cation on the optical properties of LiNbO₃. Therefore, investigation into the effects of the trivalent scandium cation may offer an opportunity to better understand the relationships between the dopant valence and optical properties in LiNbO₃.

© 1994 Optical Society of America