The effects of finite melt volume on proton exchanged lithium niobate

The effects of using a benzoic acid melt of limited volume on proton-exchanged LiNbO/sub 3/ crystals are discussed. It was found, by observing the strength of the O-H peak as a function of exchange time, that the amount of hydrogen entering the crystal saturates if the benzoic acid melt is of limited volume. This behavior has been modeled using the condition that the concentration of free protons in the melt decreases as the exchange proceeds. A good fit of the data based on this model can be obtained by considering the total amount of solute in the system to a constant. Diffusion coefficients deduced from the model agree well with the ones reported in the literature.<
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