Liquid-phase epitaxial growth of bismuth silicon oxide single-crystal film: a new optically activated optical switch

Abstract

A single-crystalline double-layered structure of a pure (80-microm)/doped (39-microm)/pure Bi(12)SiO(20) (BSO) substrate was grown for the first time by a new liquid-phase epitaxial growth to form an optical waveguide. The waveguide layer is BSO doped with CaCO(3) (0.1 wt. %) and Ga(2)O(3) (0.197 wt. %) and has a refractive index 0.07% higher than the substrate. The optical absorption coefficients were decreased by more than 1 order of magnitude by doping with the elements Ca and Ga. The high-sensitive photoconductivity of pure BSO was also reduced. Using these unique properties, we have constructed a new type of optically controlled planar optical switch.

Solidification characteristics of metastable and stable

“…Their experiments showed that the bismuth oxide phase at high temperature (δ-Bi 2 O 3 (FCC)) can be stabilized by SiO 2 and kept at room temperature by heating the bismuth silicon oxide to 800-1000 • C for 15-60 min and then quenching. However, their results were reproduced neither by Levin and Roth [10], who reported the phase diagram of Bi 2 O 3 -SiO 2 in 1964, nor cited by Tada et al [16] in 1982 although most of this phase diagram was conjectural. According to their phase diagram, there is no metastable δ-Bi 12 SiO 20 which could be solidified from the stoichiometric melt of 6Bi 2 O 3 • SiO 2 .…”

Growth of Sillenite-Structure Single Crystals

“…The processes for epitaxial growth of Bi 12 MO 20 plates and waveguides were described in [81][82][83][84][85][86][87]. Single-crystal BSO ribbons can be produced by the Stepanov method or EFG process [88][89][90].…”

“…In epitaxial growth, special attention must be paid to the surface condition of the substrate and the homogeneity of the hot zone on the melt surface. A similar process was used by Tada et al [82] to produce BSO layers codoped with Al and Ca. LPE growth of bismuth titanate layers, undoped and doped with V, Cu, and Ca + Ga, on (100), (110), and (111) BGO and BSO substrates (20 × 30 × 2 mm) was described by Bondarev et al [84] and Kargin et al [87].…”