| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Mesoscale Phenomena in Functional Polycrystals and Their Nanostructures
|
| Presentation Title |
Optical Behavior and Electro-optic Performance in Fine Grained Lead-free Ceramics |
| Author(s) |
Alexander D. Dupuy, Javier Garay |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Alexander D. Dupuy |
| Abstract Scope |
Electro-optic (EO) materials allow for the precise control of light using electrical signals, which is crucial for a number of photonic technologies. Composition limitations in electro-optic single crystals make bulk polycrystalline ceramics attractive for exploring new electro-optic materials. However, proper powder synthesis and densification methods are required for achieving the microstructures necessary for optical transparency. We demonstrate that powder synthesis and densification strategies can be modified to reduce optical scattering and significantly improve transparency in transparent lead-free 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (known as BZT-BCT or BXT) ceramics with grain sizes as small as 120 nm. Despite their fine grain size, these BXT ceramics retain a high electro-optic coefficient of rc = 136 pm/V. Additionally, we describe how the improvements in optical properties can be leveraged to enable greater control over sample geometry and electro-optic functionality. |