Photoelastic effects in tetragonal Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystals near the morphotropic phase boundary

In order to explore the photoelastic effects of the ferroelectric single crystal Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 (PZN–PT), the piezo-optical coefficients π were characterized for 0.9PZN–0.1PT and 0.88PZN–0.12PT under uniaxial stress using an interferometer method. The results show that the crystal exhibits very large π values (for example, π33 can reach 19.8×10−12 m2/N), indicating that this material is a good candidate for stress sensors and acousto-optic modulators.