Increased optical damage resistance of Zr:LiNbO 3 crystals

Zr: LiNbO 3 crystals has been grown. The crystal composition and phase are analyzed by X‐ray diffration. The optical damage resistance ability of Zr: LiNbO 3 crystals is studied by the Sénarmont compensation method and the transmitted beam pattern distortion method. The saturated value of the birefringence change of 6 mol% Zr: LiNbO 3 crystal is 1.01×10 ‐4 , which is seven times smaller than that of congruent pure LiNbO 3 crystal. The results of UV‐Visible and IR absorption spectra of Zr: LiNbO 3 crystals powerfully confirm that the optical damage resistance threshold concentration of the Zr 4+ ions doped in LiNbO 3 crystals is about 6 mol% in the melt. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)