Correlation of infrared spectra and phase transitions in annealed proton-exchanged MgO doped LiNbO3

Infrared spectra of OH− groups in annealed proton-exchanged (APE) 5 mol. % MgO-doped LiNbO3 (MgO:LiNbO3) crystals were studied using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique. Samples were prepared by benzoic acid proton-exchange followed with thermal annealing in oxygen. Evolutions of absorption peaks in APE MgO:LiNbO3 crystals were recorded and analyzed. Comparing with none-doped APE LiNbO3 crystals, a different phase transition behavior was found during thermal annealing. A periodically poled MgO:LiNbO3 slab waveguide was prepared using identical procedures, and the second harmonic generation (SHG) signals were measured. Comparing the obtained SHG results with the infrared spectra, relationships between the phase transitions and the recovery of second-order nonlinear coefficients during thermal annealing were investigated. Finally, a method for optimizing the performance of MgO:LiNbO3 waveguides was proposed.