Raman spectra of photorefractive lithium niobate single crystals

We have conducted comparative studies of the Raman spectra of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystals of different compositions for excitation in the visible and near IR regions. We have observed that the photorefractive effect is one of the factors leading to line broadening. For this reason, the linewidths may be greater upon Raman excitation in the visible region than for excitation in the near IR region. This may be explained by formation in the crystal, when illuminated by laser radiation in the visible region, of a three-dimensional sublattice of nanostructures and microstructures (with refractive index and other physical parameters different from the parameters of the host crystal) from which photorefractive light scattering occurs. Formation of nanostructures and microstructures makes an additional contribution (besides the contribution due to random and dynamic disorder in the arrangement of the structural units) to the broadening of the Raman lines in the visible region of the spectrum. Illumination of the crystal by radiation in the near IR region does not induce a sublattice of nanostructures and microstructures, due to a significantly smaller photorefractive effect.