Frederick Claus Zumsteg

Growth, Microstructures and Optical Properties of KNbO 3 Thin Films

Potassium niobate, KNbO 3 , possesses high nonlinear optical coefficients making it a promising material for frequency conversion into the visible wavelength range. While epitaxial thin films of KNbO 3 have been reported [1,2], only limited data exists concerning the optical loss mechanisms and nonlinear optical properties of these films. In this study, epitaxial thin films of KNbO 3 have been grown using ion beam sputter deposition and evaluated in terms of their microstructures and optical properties. Characterization of the microstructures of these films includes the in-plane epitaxial relationship to the substrate. The relationships between the growth parameters and microstructures developed to the indices of refraction and the optical losses (absorption and scattering) are discussed.