What Is Lithium Niobate?
Lithium niobate, a compound of niobium oxide and lithium oxide, is a synthetic material not found naturally. At room temperature, it is an odorless substance and insoluble in water. Lithium niobate crystals are grown using the Choklarsky process and are notable for their piezoelectric and nonlinear optical properties.
Uses of Lithium Niobate
Lithium niobate exhibits piezoelectricity, generating surface electrodes in response to applied pressure, and nonlinear optical effects, reacting independently of light intensity with strong light. These properties make it valuable in electronics, particularly in the manufacturing of cellular phones, electrical modulators, and resonators. Along with lithium tantalate, lithium niobate is commonly used in Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices, such as SAW filters in telecommunications equipment, to remove noise from voice data.