Undoped and MgO-doped near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate (SLT) crystals were grown by the zone-leveling Czochralski (ZLCz) technique for the first time from Li-rich solutions (mixed with 1.2 mol% MgO for MgO-doped SLT crystal) having Li-excess feed supplied from below in an iridium crucible. Inclusion-free crystals were obtained. The transmittance along the growth axis was found to be satisfactory (75 +/- 1%) having an absorption edge at 264.1 +/- 0.5 nm for undoped and 264.8 +/- 0.4 nm for MgO-doped SLT crystals. The refractive indices of the crystals were found to be n(0) = 2.1768 and n(e) = 2.1750 +/-0.0002 for uncloped and n(0) = 2.1768 and n(e) = 2.1784 +/- 0.0006 for MgO-doped SLT crystals, respectively. The Curie temperature and coercive field for the crystals were measured to be 680 +/- 3 C and 1.95 +/- 0.65 kV/mm for undoped and 689 +/- 0.7 C and 3.55 +/- 0.95 kV/mm for MgO-doped SLT crystals, respectively. ICP measurement gives the Li/Ta ratios as 0.995 +/- 0.002 and 0.9755 +/- 0.0145 in undoped and MgO-doped SLT crystals, respectively. The Mg/Ta ratio in MgO-doped crystal was measured to be 0.001235 +/- 0.00035. The Li/Ta ratio was found to vary along the crystal length in undoped and MgO-doped SLT crystals. The variation of the Mg/Ta ratio in MgO-doped SLT crystals is explained by mass balance equation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.