Cation diffusion characteristics in MgO-doped LiNbO3 during Ti diffusion

MgO addition in LiNbO3 single crystals is being actively studied for the usage in optical waveguides because of the resistance against optical damage. MgO was added as a dopant during the powder preparation of LiNbO3. Ti ®lms were prepared by e-beam evaporation at room temperature on the mechanically polished Z surface of MgO-doped LiNbO3 crystals. After Ti ®lm deposition, Ti was in-diffused by annealing. It was observed that Ti diffusion characteristic is strongly in¯uenced by annealing temperature. During Ti diffusion, Li which was in¯uenced by Ti diffusion, diffused out. In the case of Mg, however, its behavior was different from those of Ti and Li, and Mg made an accumulation layer near the surface of LiNbO3. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved