Light-induced removal of 180° ferroelectric domains in Rh:BaTiO3

We show that optically-induced photorefractive space-charge fields can remove 180° ferroelectric domains in rhodium-doped barium titanate. The cross section of the domains must be small (less than 100 microns) for this process to occur. ©2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (190.5330) Photorefractive nonlinear optics; (160.2260) Ferroelectrics; (160.5320) Photorefractive materials. ___________________________________________________________________________ References and links 1. P. Günter and J.-P. Huignard, in Photorefractive Materials and Their Applications I, edited by P. Günter and J.P. Huignard, Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1988. 2. M. DiDomenico, Jr. and S. H. Wemple, “Oxygen-Octahedra Ferroelectrics. I. Theory of Electro-optical and Nonlinear optical Effects,” J. Appl. Phys. 40, 720-734 (1969). 3. M. E. Lines, A. M. Glass, Principles and Applications of Ferroelectrics and Related Materials (Clarendon Press, 1977), Chap. 13. 4. A. Kewitsch, M. Segev, A.Yariv, G.J. Salamo, T.W. Towe, E. J. Sharp, R.R.Neurgaonkar, “Ferroelectric Domain Gratings in Strontium Barium Niobate Induced by Photorefractive Space Charge Fields,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1174-1177 (1994). 5. V.V. Lemeshko, V.V. Obukhovskii, “Domains in photoexcited LiNbO3:Fe,” Sov. Phys. Solid State 30 (6) 933936 (1988). 6. V. I. Kovalevich, L. A. Shuvalov, T. Volk, “Spontaneous polarization reversal and photorefractive effect in single-domain iron-doped lithium niobate crystals” phys. stat. sol.(a) 45, 249-252 (1978). 7. T. R. Volk, A. A. Grekov, N. A. Kosonogov, V. M. Fridkin, “Influence of illumination on the domain structure and Curie temperature of BaTiO3,” Sov. Phys.-Solid State 14, 2740-2743 (1973). 8. R. S. Cudney, J. Fousek, M. Zgonik, P. Günter, M. H. Garrett, D. Rytz, “Enhancement of the amplitude and lifetime of photo-induced space-charge fields in multi-domain ferroelectric crystals,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3883 -