Abstract

The photorefractive properties of BaTiO₃ are influenced by the presence of secondary centers. These are traps that are highly thermally ionized in the dark but can become populated when the crystal is illuminated with laser light. The photo-induced absorption is a signature of these traps. Two species of secondary centers are suggested by spectral and temporal characteristics of the induced absorption. The BaTiO₃ sample was heated in a silicon oil bath to temperatures of up to 100°C. The dark decay rates of the photo-induced absorption had temperature dependencies of the Arrhenius form, with activation energies of 0.5 and 0.8 eV.

© 1992 Optical Society of America