BISMUTH SILICON OXIDE ( BI₁₂SIO₂₀ )
BISMUTH GERMANIUM OXIDE ( BI₁₂GEO₂₀ )
BISMUTH TITAN OXIDE ( BI₁₂TIO₂₀ )

Single crystals with the Sillenite structure, Bi₁₂MO₂₀ (M=Si, Ge, Ti) have a fortunate combination of electro-optic, acousto-optic and piezoelectric properties and are thus promising materials for optoelectronics.

The fabrication of sillenite oxide thin-film structures by different techniques permits the development of a long list of devices, including integrated-optics devices.

The strong spectral dependence of the photoconductive properties of these crystals and their electro-optic properties makes it possible to develop a wide variety of devices including spatial light modulators, hologram recording devices, phase conjugation, photorefractive incoherent-to-coherent optical converters.

The relatively large electro-optic effect of sillenite oxide makes them useful also for optical fiber electric field sensors with high thermostability.