Composition, temperature, and crystal orientation dependence of the linear electro-optic properties of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystals

The linear electro-optic (EO) coefficients of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystals over a broad composition range were investigated at temperatures from −20 to 80 °C. The orientation effect on the EO coefficients was also examined. For crystals poled in the 〈001〉 direction, a large r33 was observed near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). More importantly, r33 was found to be independent of temperature for the crystals on the tetragonal side of the MPB. In contrast, r13 was nearly zero for all compositions examined at all the temperatures. The large r33 near the MPB and the observed crystal orientation effect of the EO coefficients were also analyzed.