Light-induced metastable states in ferroelectric oxides

Abstract New Raman scattering lines (at 463 cm −1 and at 156 cm −1 ) induced by strong enough optical pumping in nominally pure KTaO 3 crystals are manifested. The model of such effect is proposed. This model is based on the light-induced formation of metastable polar clusters constructed from bi-polaronic excitons – Charge Transfer Vibronic Excitons (CTVEs) with their high degree alignment. The CTVEs are caused by photo-carriers with high local concentration which are trapped to local potential wells related with long-range defect fields. CTVE formation are realized in these potential wells due to significant easing of charge transfer fluctuations induced by photo-carrier screening effects. This model is effective also for explanation of giant dielectric constant inducing by strong illumination which was detected recently in KTaO 3 and SrTiO 3 by Japanese investigators [M. Takesada, T. Yagi, M. Itoh, S. Koshihara, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 72 (2003) 37; T. Hasegawa, S. Mouri, Y. Yamada, K. Tanaka, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 72 (2003) 41; I. Katayama, Y. Ichikawa, K. Tanaka, Phys. Rev. B 67 (2003) 100102(R)]. Another aspect of the present study was specific recombination luminescence of CTVEs which was investigated here with respect to the influence of additional IR pumping. The present investigation has led to experimental evidence of new, mainly non–linear CTVE with good defined metastable behavior. Such an essentially anharmonic CTVE with respect to charge transfer and lattice displacements was predicted recently in our work [V.S. Vikhnin, Solid State Commun. 127 (2003) 283]. Here, we present experimental evidence of the existence of a new type of exciton state.