Diffraction of Light on a Regular Domain Structure with Inclined Walls in MgO:LiNbO3

Abstract

Features of the Bragg diffraction of a Gaussian light beam on a regular domain structure with inclined 180° domain walls in a 5% MgO:LiNbO3 crystal have been studied experimentally and theoretically. The regular domain structure with a period of 8.79 μm along the X axis has been prepared by the polarization switching method under the action of an external electric field in a 1-mm Z-cut plate. It has been shown that the inclination of walls of the regular domain structure by the angle α to the polar Z axis results in the mth order Bragg diffraction characterized by the intensity distribution Im(z) with two maxima the spacing between which at m = 1, 3, 4, ... increases as mα. The application of an external static electric field to the regular domain structure has allowed using the dynamics of the efficiency of the Bragg diffraction with m = 1 to detect the screening of this field associated with the conductivity of inclined domain walls. The effective value of this conductivity over the period Λ for the studied regular domain structure with α = 0.31° has been estimated as σeff = 5.96 × 10–11 Ω–1 m–1.