A new LiNbO3 bulk crystal has been grown by doping with MgO (cs-MgO:LN; Li2O:Nb2O5: MgO=45.30:50.00:4.70, (Li0.906Mg0.047V0.47Li)NbO3), which successfully has the congruent point coinciding with the stoichiometric point. Its second-harmonic-generation (SHG) properties were evaluated. It was found that cs-MgO:LN has a much more homogeneous composition leading to uniform in-plane distribution of the non-critical phase-matching wavelength than the conventional LiNbO3 crystals such as congruent LiNbO3 (c-LN), stoichiometric LiNbO3 (s-LN), and MgO-doped congruent LiNbO3 (5MgO:LN). This homogeneity arose from the observation that none of the solute components including ionic species were segregated at the interface during growth. The SHG conversion efficiency of cs-MgO:LN is comparable to those of s-LN and 5MgO:LN. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.