The Peculiarities of the Electrical Conductivity of LiNbO<sub>3</sub> Crystals, Reduced in Hydrogen

Abstract

The low-frequency impedance spectroscopy method has been used to investigate the electrical conductivity peculiarities of lithium niobate (LN) crystals reduced in hydrogen. It has been found that the activation energy value of the dark electrical conductivity of such crystals in a temperature range of 288...370 К is equal to 0.68±0.02 eV. It has been demonstrated that the multiple heating of «black» LN crystals up to a temperature of about 420 K results in surface layers with modified electrical properties to occur in the crystal’s polar faces. The electrical conductivity mechanism of LiNbO3 crystals reduced in the hydrogen-containing atmosphere, and the causes of the instability of these properties are discussed.