SBIR Phase I: Homogeneous, High-Efficiency TiO2 and YVO4 Birefringent Crystals

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Phase I project will prove that homogeneous, low-loss TiO2 and YVO4 crystals can be produced via commercially viable hydro-thermal crystal growth processes. Recently, a program to grow homogeneous YVO4 and TiO2 birefringent crystals using hydro-thermal growth methods had preliminary results that indicate that these crystals can be grown in hydro-thermal solutions at ~ 500 degrees C. The crystals appear to have superior optical properties. In particular, hydro-thermal TiO2 and YVO4 should display greatly improved birefringence homogeneity and lower optical loss. These improvements will allow more compact, higher performance, higher efficiency components used in optics, photonics, telecom, and laser devices, equipment, and systems. The broader impact of this technology would be as optical switching, optical, and networking. The demand for crystals used in optical components is expected to skyrocket. Over 10 million optical components (isolators, circulators, beam splitters, etc.) were sold in 2001, and that demand is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. The number of crystals used in optical components is expected to be three orders of magnitude higher than the volume used in solid state lasers.