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Significant applications of SrTiO3 single crystals in electronics require knowledge about the influence of structural imperfections on their optical properties. Birefringence temperature changes were investigated in a few SrTiO3 single crystals in a broad temperature range, from 85 K to 250 K. The birefringence was found to be a non-linear function below the transition Ts at 105 K, and non-linear changes in the optical indicatrix orientation accompanied it. A weak residual birefringence was permanently present a dozen degrees above the phase transition temperature Ts. This is mainly connected with dislocations, which induce local stresses and shift transition points even up to about 200 K. The essential role of imperfections on optical properties was studied in a SrTiO3 24° bi-crystal reduced at 1000 K and under low oxygen pressure. In such an intentionally defected crystal, an increase of non-linearities in Δn(T) dependence was observed below and above the transition point Ts.

Doped SrTiO3 becomes a metal at extremely low doping concentrations n and is even superconducting at n < 1020 cm−3, with the superconducting transition temperature adopting a dome-like shape with increasing carrier concentration. In this paper it is shown within the polarizability model and from first principles calculations that up to a well-defined carrier concentration nc transverse optic mode softening takes place together with polar nano-domain formation, which provides evidence of inhomogeneity and a two-component type behavior with metallicity coexisting with polarity. Beyond this region, a conventional metal is formed where superconductivity as well as mode softening is absent. For n ≤ nc the effective electron-phonon coupling follows the superconducting transition temperature. Effusion measurements, as well as macroscopic and nanoscopic conductivity measurements, indicate that the distribution of oxygen vacancies is local and inhomogeneous, from which it is concluded that metallicity stems from filaments which are embedded in a polar matrix as long as n ≤ nc.

Solid solutions of PbZr1−xTixO3 (PZT) are one of the most widely used piezoelectric materials with perovskite structure. Despite the decades of research, the phase diagram of PZT reported in 1971 has not been resolved yet. Recently, it turned out that single crystals of good quality of these solid solutions can be grown. By means of top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) technique, we succeeded to grow a single PbZr0.87Ti0.13O3 crystal. Hence, a partial verification of the diagram could be performed through investigations of the optical, dielectric, pyroelectric and elastic properties of this crystal, in a wide temperature range. The obtained results confirmed that the PbZr0.87Ti0.13O3 crystal undergoes a sequence of phase transitions, such as those observed in ceramics of similar chemical composition. However, additional anomalies of investigated physical properties were observed and discussed. Moreover, the influence of electric field on optical properties has been investigated for the first time and has proven the existence of local polar character of the phase above TC in a limited temperature range.