lithium niobate

noun

lithium ni·​o·​bate -ˈnī-ə-ˌbāt How to pronounce lithium niobate (audio)
: a crystalline material LiNbO3 whose physical properties change in response to pressure or the presence of an electric field and which is used in fiber optics and as a synthetic gemstone

Examples of lithium niobate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Components And Markets One material that has helped photonics acquire nonlinearity is lithium niobate, a crystal (specifically, a synthetic salt) that has been long and widely used for modulating light signals in optical communication systems. Kazuhiro Gomi, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 Okan Atalar and Amin Arbabian in Stanford’s electrical engineering department started with thin-film lithium niobate, a material often used for waveguides and optical switches in cellphones and communications systems. IEEE Spectrum, 8 Mar. 2023 Using that approach, Cleland and Kevin Satzinger, a UCSB graduate student, fashioned a resonator on a lithium niobate chip that rang for up to 150 nanoseconds. Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, 14 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lithium niobate was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Lithium niobate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithium%20niobate. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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