ALPHA-IODIC ACID: A SOLUTION-GROWN CRYSTAL WITH A HIGH FIGURE OF MERIT FOR ACOUSTO-OPTIC DEVICE APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The photoelastic properties of α-HIO3 have been measured and the applicability of the material for acousto-optic device applications determined. In the blue and green portions of the visible the material has the highest figure of merit, n6p2/ρv3, of any known crystal, approximately twelve times that of LiNbO3 and fifty times that of fused silica. Other desirable properties for these applications include (a) the availability of large solution-grown single crystals of high optical quality, (b) low acoustic and optic losses, and (c) the absence of ``optical damage.'' A simple acoustically driver beam deflector was also constructed to demonstrate the potential of this material. It was found that 70% of a 0.63-μ laser beam could be deflected, over a bandwidth of 55 MHz, with an electrical drive power of 265 mW, while 70% of a 0.488-μ laser beam could be deflected over the same bandwidth with 94 mW of electrical power.