ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR SYNTHESIS OF A BORON-DOPED LITHIUM NIOBATE CHARGE USED FOR GROWING SINGLE CRYSTALS

Проведен анализ известных методов синтеза шихты ниобата лития, легированной бором, которая используется при выращивании монокристаллов высокого оптического качества методом Чохральского. Установлено, что способ гомогенного легирования (шихта получается из прекурсора NbO :B и LiCO) по сравнению с твердофазным (шихта получается из смеси LiCO: NbO : HBO ) позволяет выращивать кристаллы LiNbO: B с более однородным распределением в них примеси бора, а также в объеме расплава, при этом упрощаются технологические режимы, устанавливаемые при росте кристаллов. В работе впервые рассмотрен жидкофазный метод синтеза шихты, исключающий стадию прокалки гомогенизированной смеси пентаоксида ниобия и карбоната лития. Результаты имеют важное значение при выборе технологии выращивания легированных бором монокристаллов ниобата лития для конкретных областей техники. Known methods of a boron doped lithium niobate charge synthesis were analyzed. Such a charge is applied for the growth by Czochralski of single crystals with high optical quality. Homogeneous doping (the charge is obtained from precursor NbO:B and LiCO) was compared with solid phase doping (the charge is obtained from the mixture LiCO: NbO: HBO). Homogeneous doping was determined to help produce LiNbO: B crystals with a more uniform distribution of a boron dopant, boron distributes more uniform in the melt volume; technological regimes established during crystal growth become easier. For the first time the paper considers liquid-phase charge synthesis method; the method excludes the stage of annealing of homogenized mixture of niobium pentoxide and lithium carbonate. Results are crucial for the choice of technology at growing of boron doped lithium niobate crystals for exact areas of technics.

Growth-sector dependence of morphological, structural and optical features in boron-doped HPHT diamond crystals

Semiconducting boron-doped diamond single crystals of cubo-octahedral habit with prevalent development of octahedron {111} faces and insignificant area of cube {001}, rhombo-dodecahedron {110} and tetragon-trioctahedron {311} faces were obtained using solution-melt crystallization at high pressure 6.5 GPa and temperatures 1380…1420 °C. Using the Fe-Al solvent, which allows controlled incorporation of boron dopant between 2·10–4…10–2 at.% made it possible to vary the electro-physical properties of the crystals. Methods of micro-photogrammetry, atomic force microscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy were applied to reveal sectorial inhomogeneity of impurity composition and morphology of different crystal faces. The obtained crystals were shown to have high structural perfection and boron concentration ranging approximately from 1·1017 up to 7·1018 cm–3. An increase in boron concentration increases the area of {111} faces relatively to the total crystal area. Nanoscale morphological features like growth terraces, step-bunching, dendrite-like nanostructures, columnar substructures, negative growth pyramids on different crystal faces are shown to reflect peculiarities of carbon dissolution at high pressures and temperatures. The changes in the crystals’ habit and surface morphology are discussed in relation to inhomogeneous variation of thermodynamic conditions of crystal growth and dissolution at different boron concentrations.

Boron Influence on Defect Structure and Properties of Lithium Niobate Crystals

Defect structure of nominally pure lithium niobate crystals grown from a boron doped charge have been studied by Raman and optical spectroscopy, laser conoscopy, and photoinduced light scattering. An influence of boron dopant on optical uniformity, photoelectrical fields values, and band gap have been also studied by these methods in LiNbO3 crystals. Despite a high concentration of boron in the charge (up to 2 mol%), content in the crystal does not exceed 10−4 wt%. We have calculated that boron incorporates only into tetrahedral voids of crystal structure as a part of groups [BO3]3−, which changes O–O bonds lengths in O6 octahedra. At this oxygen–metal clusters MeO6 (Me: Li, Nb) change their polarizability. The clusters determine optically nonlinear and ferroelectric properties of a crystal. Chemical interactions in the system Li2O–Nb2O5–B2O3 have been considered. Boron, being an active element, structures lithium niobate melt, which significantly influences defect structure and physical properties of a crystal grown from such a melt. At the same time, amount of defects NbLi and concentration of OH groups in LiNbO3:B is close to that in stoichiometric crystals; photorefractive effect, optical, and compositional uniformity on the contrary is higher.

Boron dopant simultaneously achieving nanostructure control and electronic structure tuning of graphitic carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been widely studied for photocatalysis due to its suitable band structure, tunable bandgap and low cost. Nevertheless, the photocatalytic performance of bulk g-C3N4 is poor...