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Structural Defects and Photoluminescence in Zinc-Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals

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Abstract—

We demonstrate that increasing the zinc concentration in Zn-doped lithium niobate crystals to their first concentration threshold (~3.0 mol % ZnO) leads to a decrease in photovoltaic field, an increase in diffusion field, and a decrease in the luminescence intensity of NbLi emission centers. As the zinc concentration approaches the second concentration threshold (~6.8 mol % ZnO), the photovoltaic field increases, which is accompanied by a decrease in diffusion field and band gap. In addition, the integrated luminescence intensity drops as a consequence of the reduction in the concentration of defect centers in the form of NbLi–NbNb bipolaron pairs. At the same time, the emission intensity of NbLi small polarons increases and the photorefractive effect decreases markedly.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant no. 20-33-90078.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tananaev Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Rare Elements and Minerals (Separate Subdivision), Kola Scientific Center (Federal Research Center), Russian Academy of Sciences, 184209, Apatity, Murmansk oblast, Russia

    N. V. Sidorov, N. A. Teplyakova, M. V. Smirnov & M. N. Palatnikov

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  1. N. V. Sidorov
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  2. N. A. Teplyakova
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  3. M. V. Smirnov
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  4. M. N. Palatnikov
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Correspondence to N. A. Teplyakova.

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Translated by O. Tsarev

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Sidorov, N.V., Teplyakova, N.A., Smirnov, M.V. et al. Structural Defects and Photoluminescence in Zinc-Doped Lithium Niobate Crystals. Inorg Mater 57, 1028–1034 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0020168521100149

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