Auger electron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry have been used to investigate the elemental composition of single-crystalline LiNbO 3 surfaces subjected to annealing and evaporation in vacuum and to analyse the evaporation products. We found three distinct temperature regimes, within which the surface composition of LiNbO 3 undergoes different changes: outgassing (T = 300-650 K); surface segregation of Li and O (T = 650-1150 K); and evaporation of Li, O 2 and LiO (T 1150 K). The evaporation of Nb becomes noticeable only at temperatures close to the Curie temperature (1483 K).

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