Lifetime of polarons in lithium-niobate crystals

Dirk Berben; Karsten Buse; S. Wevering; P. Herth; Theo Woike; Eckhard Kratzig

doi:10.1117/12.370220

22 November 1999 Lifetime of polarons in lithium-niobate crystals

Dirk Berben, Karsten Buse, S. Wevering, P. Herth, Theo Woike, Eckhard Kratzig

Proceedings Volume 3802, Advanced Optical Data Storage: Materials, Systems, and Interfaces to Computers; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.370220
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

Pulsed illumination of lithium-niobate crystals with green light excites electrons from deep traps into the intrinsic defect Nb_Li⁵⁺ (Nb on Li site in the valence state 5+) and creates Nb_Li⁴⁺ centers (small polarons). The electrons trapped in this more shallow center increase the light absorption in the red and near-infrared. The dark decay of the polaron concentration is observed by monitoring the relaxation of these absorption changes. Iron- doped lithium-niobate crystals with different concentrations of Nb_Li are investigated for various illumination conditions. The relaxation shows a stretched-exponential behavior which is in disagreement with the predictions of the standard rate-equation model. The observed lifetimes of the polarons range from tens of nanoseconds to some milliseconds. Computer simulations reveal that all results can be explained considering distance-dependent excitation and recombination rates, i.e. the lifetime of an individual polaron depends on the distance to the next available deep electron trap. Based on the new insights, tailoring of lithium-niobate crystals for non-volatile holographic storage becomes possible.

Citation Download Citation

Dirk Berben, Karsten Buse, S. Wevering, P. Herth, Theo Woike, and Eckhard Kratzig "Lifetime of polarons in lithium-niobate crystals", Proc. SPIE 3802, Advanced Optical Data Storage: Materials, Systems, and Interfaces to Computers, (22 November 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.370220

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available