Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.91, No.1, 110-114, 2008
Creation of ferroelectric, single-crystal architecture in Sm0.5La0.5BGeO5 glass
Using a novel, selective heating by Nd:YAG laser, a single-crystal architecture is created in a model glass system, Sm0.5La0.5BGeO5, which devitrifies congruently into a ferroelectric phase of the same composition as the parent glass. The Sm3+ ions in glass absorb the light and heat the matrix locally resulting in devitrification. Initially, a polycrystalline spot is formed. However, with optimum laser power, scanning speed, and the depth of focus, one of the grains acts as the seed for further growth as a single crystal. By programming the relative displacement of the glass with respect to laser spot, desired single ferroelectric crystal architecture is created. The optical functionalities (guiding of light and second harmonic generation) of the architectures are shown, which demonstrate the viability of this method for constructing active elements in optical integrated circuits. The single-crystal nature of the architecture is confirmed from the electron backscattered diffraction results.