A new-type electro-optic crystal: K3Nb3B2O12

Electro-optical materials are crucial for lasers and modulators applications. Perovskite ferroelectric crystals, characterized by oxygen octahedrons and superior dipole migration capabilities, are recognized for their high electro-optic coefficients. However, the application of perovskite ferroelect...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lingfei Lv, Xiaoming Yang, Hongjiang Wu, Rongbing Su, Zujian Wang, Bin Su, Pai Shan, Bingxuan Li, Xifa Long, Ge Zhang, Feng Xu, Chao He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Journal of Materiomics
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352847824002302
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Summary:Electro-optical materials are crucial for lasers and modulators applications. Perovskite ferroelectric crystals, characterized by oxygen octahedrons and superior dipole migration capabilities, are recognized for their high electro-optic coefficients. However, the application of perovskite ferroelectric crystals is often limited by reduced optical transparency, which results from light scattering and reflection at domain walls. In this study, we implemented a structure dimensionality reduction strategy to successfully transform a three-dimensional structure KNbO3 (KNO) crystal into a quasi-two-dimensional layered structure K3Nb3B2O12 (KNBO) crystal through BO3 planar groups. This modification restricts the mobility of B-site ions within the layers while preserving significant spontaneous polarization along the interlayer direction, thus converting multipolar axis into a unipolar axis in the ferroelectric. This alteration in the direction of spontaneous polarization modifies the domain structure, thereby minimizing the scattering effects of the domain walls. As a result, the KNBO crystal exhibits a large effective electro-optic (EO) coefficient of 50.14 pm/V and a high transmittance exceeding 80% in the 330–2500 nm wavelength range. These properties surpass those of currently available commercial EO crystals. This research establishes a model for enhancing transparency and EO coefficient through structural design, offering potential applications to other EO crystals.
ISSN:2352-8478