The zone-levelling Czochralski (ZLCz) technique was used to grow MgO-doped near-stoichiometric lithium niobate (SLN) crystals for the first time. The crystal was pulled from a Li-rich solution (58-60 mol% of Li2O) having an SLN solid supplied from below in a slender platinum crucible. An inner crucible was also used to avoid bubble incorporation. With 1 mol% MgO doping, three inclusion-free SLN crystals were grown. The transmittance along the grown crystals was found satisfactory (76 +/- 1%) having an absorption edge of 303 +/- 1 nm. The small variation of the composition (Li/Nb = 0.975 +/- 0.005 and Mg/Nb = 1.07 +/- 0.02 mol%), refractive indices (n(o) = 2.286 +/-0.0005 and n(c) = 2.189 +/- 0.0007), and the Curie temperature (1209.5 +/- 1.5 degrees C) further confirm ZLCz as a proven method for growing SLN single crystals. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.