Electrical properties of LiNbO3 crystals reduced in a hydrogen atmosphere

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity and pyroelectric coefficient of lithium niobate crystals reduced in a hydrogen atmosphere has been studied. It has been established that the activation energy of dark electrical conduction in these crystals in the temperature range 288–350 K differs from the corresponding values for crystals reduced in vacuum and is equal to 0.68 ± 0.02 eV. It has been shown that the annealing of LiNbO3 crystals in a hydrogen atmosphere hardly affects their pyroelectric properties. The mechanism of electrical conduction of LiNbO3 crystals reduced in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere has been discussed.