Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) Crystals and Wafers
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) Crystals and Wafers
Introduction
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃, LN) is a versatile ferroelectric crystal known for its excellent electro-optic, nonlinear optical, and piezoelectric properties. This unique combination makes lithium niobate an important functional material for photonics, telecommunications, sensing, and advanced optical systems.
LN crystals are widely used in optical modulators, waveguides, frequency-conversion devices, surface acoustic wave (SAW) components, piezoelectric sensors, and other linear and nonlinear optical applications.
Applications
Lithium niobate is widely used in both optical and electronic applications, including:
- Optical Modulators & Q-Switches – Utilize the strong electro-optic effect of LiNbO₃ for high-speed optical modulation and laser control.
- Nonlinear Optics – Used for second-harmonic generation (SHG), difference-frequency generation (DFG), optical parametric oscillation (OPO), and other wavelength-conversion applications.
- Optical Waveguides & Photonics – Suitable for integrated photonic devices, optical communication systems, and waveguide applications.
- SAW Devices – Widely used as a piezoelectric substrate for surface acoustic wave filters, resonators, and duplexers in telecommunications.
- Piezoelectric Sensors & Transducers – Applied in ultrasonic transducers, sensing devices, and acoustic applications.
- Telecommunication Components – Used in RF filtering and optical communication systems requiring high-performance signal processing.
With its combination of optical, electro-optic, nonlinear, and piezoelectric performance, LiNbO₃ remains one of the most important materials for modern photonics and telecommunications technologies.
Specifications
| Material | Optical Grade LiNbO₃ Wafers (White or Black) |
| Curie Temperature | 1142 ± 2.0 °C |
| Crystal Orientation / Cut | X-cut / Y-cut / Z-cut / Custom |
| Diameter / Size | 2" / 3" / 4" |
| Diameter Tolerance | < ±0.20 mm |
| Thickness | 0.18–0.50 mm or custom |
| Primary Flat | 16 mm / 22 mm / 32 mm |
| TTV | < 3 µm |
| Bow | -30 µm to +30 µm |
| Warp | < 40 µm |
| Orientation Flat | Available upon request |
| Surface Finish | Single-Side Polished (SSP) / Double-Side Polished (DSP) |
| Polished Surface Roughness (Ra) | < 0.5 nm |
| Scratch / Dig | 20/10 |
| Edge Criteria | R = 0.2 mm or bullnose |
| Available Dopants | Fe / Zn / MgO and other dopants for optical-grade LN wafers |
| Refractive Index | no = 2.2878, ne = 2.2033 @ 632 nm |
| Contamination | None |
| Particles > 0.3 µm | ≤ 30 |
| Scratches / Chipping | None |
| Surface Defects | No edge cracks, scratches, saw marks, or stains |