Refractive Index Modulation in Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Crystals

Abstract

An unconventional optical diffraction technique is exploited to characterize periodically poled lithium niobate crystals grown by the off-center Czochralski technique. The method, based on maps of the diffracted intensity in the reciprocal space, pointed out that a modulation in the refractive index occurs with a periodicity close to that measured by the chemical etching procedure. In this case, therefore, the linear optical properties of domains with opposite polarization are different.

Keywords:

• Periodical poled lithium niobate
• optical diffraction
• crystal growth

Acknowledgments

This work has been partially supported by the FIRB project RBNE01KZ94_008 financed by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR).