title: Major improvements of the photorefractive and photovoltaic properties in potassium niobate.
abstract: Optical and electrical measurements have been made on a new codoped potassium niobate crystal (KNbO3:Fe,Ag) that yields a significant enhancement of the photorefractive and photovoltaic effects when compared with the published results for singly doped potassium niobate crystals. The codoped Ag impurity enters the K site, rather than the typical Nb site, thus changing the local field in the lattice. It is believed that Fe perturbed by the Ag in the K site is responsible for an enhancement of the linear absorption and photocurrent, as well as a probable increase in the effective trap density. An enhanced trap density is likely the cause of the increased photorefractive counterpropagating two-beam coupling efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Carns
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Basun
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Seim
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mizell