Composition dependence of the second-harmonic phase-matching temperature in LiNbO3

Abstract
Phase‐matching temperatures for 90° phase matching of Nd:YAG laser light have been measured in LiNbO3 crystals with different Li/Nb ratios. Their melt and solid composition had been determined chemically with an accuracy of about 0.2%. Our results contrast to earlier work, no linear dependence of the phase‐matching temperature versus the Li/Nb ratio was found. The measured dependence shows that the phase‐matching temperature can be used as an excellent probe for the composition of LiNbO3.