Strontium barium niobate single-crystal fibers: Optical and electro-optic properties

Abstract

The room-temperature transverse electro-optic, rc, coefficient, halfwave voltage, Vπ, and temperature dependence of the birefringence, Δn0(T), were determined for Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 single-crystal fibers produced by the laser-heated pedestal growth technique. The effect cerium doping, 0.034 at. %, had on the measured properties is also reported. Concurrent measurements on a Czochralski-grown Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 single crystal enabled comparison of the single-crystal fibers to a bulk-grown single crystal. The growth rate of the Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 single-crystal fibers was approximately an order of magnitude greater than the Czochralski-grown Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 single crystal. The effect the rapid growth rate had on the optical properties is also discussed.