Lithium Niobate LiNbO3 Crystal​ Ingot High-Frequency SAW

Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) Crystal EO/PO Components Telecom Defense​ High-Frequency SAW

Introduce

Lithium niobate (LN) is a ferroelectric material with excellent electro-optic, nonlinear, and piezoelectric properties.

Specification

Properties​​

​​Thermal Properties​​
From a thermal perspective, lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) crystals exhibit excellent stability. They possess a high Curie temperature (~1142°C), meaning they retain piezoelectric properties even at elevated temperatures. This thermal stability ensures reliable functionality under high-temperature conditions, enhancing their practicality in high-temperature applications.

​​Mechanical Properties​​
Mechanically, lithium niobate is relatively hard and durable. The crystal has a Mohs hardness of approximately 5, comparable to glass or tooth enamel. This characteristic enhances its resistance to physical stress, making it ideal for applications requiring mechanical robustness.

​​Acousto-Optic Properties​​
Lithium niobate crystals demonstrate remarkable acousto-optic properties, characterized by high acousto-optic coefficients. These crystals can effectively couple acoustic and optical waves, enabling light modulation via sound. This property is widely exploited in acousto-optic devices.

​​Ferroelectric Properties​​
LiNbO₃ is a ferroelectric crystal, meaning it exhibits spontaneously polarized domains that can be reoriented by an external electric field. This feature is utilized in memory devices, electro-optic modulators, and other applications requiring precise control of polarization.

​​Physical Properties​​
A critical attribute of lithium niobate crystals is their significant optical nonlinearity, which underpins their broad utility in optics. The crystals also display birefringence, splitting incident light into two orthogonally polarized beams.

​​Chemical Properties​​
LiNbO₃ demonstrates outstanding chemical stability, making it highly attractive for diverse applications. It exhibits strong resistance to water and other chemicals, enabling use in environments where chemical resistance is essential.

​​Electrical Properties​​
As a piezoelectric material, lithium niobate uniquely converts mechanical stress into electrical charge. This property is leveraged in devices such as sensors and transducers.

​​Optical Properties​​
Lithium niobate crystals possess excellent optical properties, including high transmission across the visible to mid-infrared spectral range. This broad transmission window plays a pivotal role in optical applications, enabling efficient light propagation and interaction.

Applications of Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃)​

Piezoelectric Applications​

Lithium niobate crystals exhibit outstanding piezoelectric performance due to their ​​high Curie temperature​​, 

​​low temperature coefficient of piezoelectricity​​, ​​high electromechanical coupling coefficient​​, ​​low dielectric loss​​, ​​stable physicochemical properties​​, ​​excellent machinability​​, and ​​capability to fabricate large-sized, high-quality crystals​​. Compared to conventional piezoelectric materials like quartz, lithium niobate features ​​higher acoustic velocity​​, enabling the development of ​​high-frequency devices​​.

These properties make lithium niobate suitable for ​​resonators​​, ​​transducers​​, ​​delay lines​​, ​​filters​​, and other components. Applications span ​​civilian fields​​ such as mobile communications, satellite communications, digital signal processing, televisions, broadcasting, radar, and remote sensing, as well as ​​military sectors​​ including electronic countermeasures, fuzes, and guidance systems.

Optical Applications​​

Beyond its piezoelectric properties, lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) crystals exhibit rich ​​photoelectric effects​​, with ​​electro-optic effects​​ and ​​nonlinear optical effects​​ being particularly prominent and widely utilized. Additionally, LiNbO₃ crystals can be fabricated into high-quality ​​optical waveguides​​ via proton exchange or titanium diffusion, and ​​periodically poled crystals​​ through poling reversal. These capabilities enable their applications in ​​electro-optic modulators​​, ​​phase modulators​​, ​​integrated optical switches​​, ​​electro-optic Q-switches​​, ​​electro-optic deflectors​​, ​​high-voltage sensors​​, ​​wavefront sensing​​, ​​optical parametric oscillators​​, and ​​ferroelectric superlattices​​. Furthermore, LiNbO₃-based components such as ​​birefringent wedge prisms​​, ​​holographic optical devices​​, ​​infrared pyroelectric detectors​​, and ​​erbium-doped waveguide lasers​​ have also been reported.

Q&A

Q1: What is lithium niobate (LiNbO₃)? What are its core properties?​​

​​A1​​:
Lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) is a ferroelectric material with key properties:

​​Electro-optic effect​​: Enables light control for high-speed optical modulators.
​​Nonlinear optics​​: Supports frequency conversion (e.g., second-harmonic generation).
​​Piezoelectric effect​​: Converts mechanical stress to electrical signals for sensors.
​​High Curie temperature​​ (~1142°C): Stable under extreme conditions.
​​Broad optical transparency​​: Effective from 400 nm (visible) to 5 µm (mid-infrared).

Q2: What are the main applications of lithium niobate?​​

​​A2​​:
Key applications include:

​​Optical communications​​: Modulators, wavelength division multiplexers.
​​Nonlinear optics​​: Lasers (OPO, SHG), optical parametric oscillation.
​​Piezoelectric devices​​: SAW filters, ultrasonic transducers.
​​Electro-optic devices​​: Q-switches, photonic switches.
​​Defense & aerospace​​: Radar, electronic countermeasures, radiation detectors.

​Q3: What is lithium niobate?​​
​​A1​3:
Lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) is a ferroelectric material with electro-optic, piezoelectric, and nonlinear optical properties. It is widely used in optical communications, sensors, and laser devices.

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