RADIATION-RESISTANT LINBO{11 AND OPTICAL DEVICES UTILIZING SAME

摘要

Room temperature use of LiNb03 in devices involving transmission of coherent radiation has been restricted by the observation that the material "damages" in relatively short periods at commonly used intensity levels. Such damage takes the form of the development of local refractive index inhomogeneities which scatter the radiation. Such damage is reduced to a level sufficient to permit use of LiNb03 in any such device at room temperature by maintenance of the concentration level of Fe2<+> impurity at less than 10 ppm and by annealing at temperatures below 700 DEG C. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of such said annealing is carried out with the sample under the influence of an imposed electric field.