CURIE TEMPERATURE BIREFRINGENCE AND PHASE-MATCHING TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS IN LINBO3 AS A FUNCTION OF MELT STOICHIOMETRY

The Curie temperature, birefringence, and phase-matching temperature of LiNbO3 are shown to vary with the stoichiometry of the melt from which the crystals are pulled. The range of melt stoichiometry, indexed by the LiNb mole ratio, was varied from 1.20 to 0.80. This LiNb variation changes the Curie temperature, refractive index for the extraordinary ray, and the phase-matching temperature by 120°C,.03, and 320°C respectively. The relevance of these changes are discussed in terms of the susceptibility of LiNbO3 to index inhomogeneities. © 1968 The American Institute of Physics.