Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Potassium niobate, KNbO3, possesses high nonlinear optical coefficients making it a promising material for frequency conversion into the visible wavelength range. While epitaxial thin films of KNbO3 have been reported [1,2], only limited data exists concerning the optical loss mechanisms and nonlinear optical properties of these films. In this study, epitaxial thin films of KNbO3 have been grown using ion beam sputter deposition and evaluated in terms of their microstructures and optical properties. Characterization of the microstructures of these films includes the in-plane epitaxial relationship to the substrate. The relationships between the growth parameters and microstructures developed to the indices of refraction and the optical losses (absorption and scattering) are discussed.