Effects of heat treatment with quenching on photorefractive properties of cerium- and europium-doped strontium barium niobate

摘要

The heat treatment of Ce, Eu-doped Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6-delta (SBN) single crystals in an oxygen atmosphere, whereby samples are quenched after annealing to prevent any reaction during cooling, is discussed. We were able to obtain fairly good reproducibility with the quenching method. Photorefractive trap densities changed drastically as a result of the treatment, whereas absorption did not change significantly, and this is beneficial for volume multiplexing. For long-term data storage, we found that a lower annealing temperature was better. We discuss the effects of the treatment on the photorefractive properties of SBN in relation to oxygen vacancies. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America. [References: 19]