Lithium Niobate: Defects, Photorefraction and Ferroelectric Switching

The book presents the current state of studies of point defects, both intrinsic and extrinsic (impurities, radiation centers, etc.), in LiNbO₃. The contribution of intrinsic defects to photoinduced charge transport, i.e. to the photorefraction, is explained. The photorefractive and optical properties of LiNbO₃ crystals with different stoichiometry and of those doped with so-called "optical-damage resistant" impurities controlling the intrinsic defect structure are described in detail. Appli...