Crystal-Physical Model of Ion Transport in Nonlinear Optical Crystals of KTiOPO{sub 4}
The ionic conductivity along the principal axes a, b, and c of the unit cell of the nonlinear-optical high-resistance KTiOPO{sub 4} single crystals (rhombic syngony, space group Pna2{sub 1}), which are as-grown and after thermal annealing in vacuum, has been investigated by the method of impedance spectroscopy. The crystals were grown from a solution-melt by the Czochralski method. The as-grown KTiOPO{sub 4} crystals possess a quasi-one-dimensional conductivity along the crystallographic c axis, which is caused by the migration of K{sup +} cations: σ{sub ║c} = 1.0 × 10{sup –5} S/cm at 573 K. Wherein the characteristics of the anisotropy of ionic conductivity of the crystals is equal to σ{sub ║c}/σ{sub ║a}= 3 and σ{sub ║c}/σ{sub ║b}= 24. The thermal annealing at 1000 K for 10 h in vacuum increases the magnitude of σ{sub ║c} of KTiOPO{sub 4} by a factor of 28 and leads to an increase in the ratio σ{sub ║c}/σ{sub ║b}= 2.1 × 10{sup 3} at 573 K. A crystal-physical model of ionic transport in KTiOPO{sub 4} crystals has been proposed.