Towards Nonlinear Photonic Wires in Z-cut LiNbO3

International audienceUsing a modified Proton Exchange process we have realized Photonic Wires in X-cut LiNbO3. They exhibit highly confined mode, low propagation losses, low strain induced polarization coupling and no reduction of the nonlinear properties. We are now transferring this technique to Z-cut LiNbO3 in order to realize very efficient nonlinear devices in PPLN

Analysis of High-Index Contrast Lithium Niobate Waveguides Fabricated by High Vacuum Proton Exchange

International audience—High-index contrast waveguides fabricated with precise control and reproducibility are of high interest for nonlinear and/or electro-optical highly efficient and compact devices for quantum and classical optical data processing. Here we present a new process to fabricate planar and channel optical waveguides on lithium niobate substrates that we called High Vacuum Proton Exchange (HiVacPE). The main purpose was to improve the reproducibility and the quality of the produced waveguides by limiting and controlling the water traces in the melt, which is used for the ionic exchange. Moreover, we discovered that, when the acidity of the bath is increased, depending on substrate orientation (Z-cut or X-cut) the waveguides are completely different in term of crystallographic properties, index profiles and nonlinearity. The best-obtained channel waveguides exhibit a refractive index contrast as high as 0.04 without any degradation of the crystal nonlinearity and state of the art propagation losses (0.16dB/cm). We have also demonstrated that the HiVacPE process allows fabricating waveguides on Z-cut substrate with high-index contrast up to 0.11 without degrading the crystal nonlinearity but high strain induced propagation losses. On top of that, we proposed an original and very useful method of analyzing waveguides with complex index profiles. This method can be used for the analysis of any waveguides whose core contains several layers

Modes Hybrides dans les Fils Quantiques Réalisés sur Niobate de Lithium en Coupe X

Dans ce papier, nous nous concentrerons sur l'influence des contraintes induites dans le cristal par le processus de fabrication des fils quantiques. Ces tensions sont responsables d'un couplage fort entre les polarisations qui confère une nature hybride aux modes se propageant et qui doit être prise en considération dans la conception des dispositifs

Abnormal Domain Growth during Polarization Reversal in Lithium Niobate Crystal Modified by Proton Exchange

The results of an experimental study of the abnormal domain structure kinetics in lithium niobate single crystals with a surface layer modified by soft proton exchange are presented. Domain switching in a wide field range allowed two qualitatively different types of domain structure evolution to be revealed: (1) the traditional growth of hexagonal domains in fields higher than 21.5 kV/mm and (2) the abnormal growth of stripe domains oriented along the Y crystallographic directions in the field range from 3.8 to 21.5 kV/mm. The stripe domains had a width up to 4 µm and depth up to 30 µm. It was shown that the time dependence of the total length of stripe domains could be analyzed in terms of the modified Kolmogorov–Avrami approach, taking into account the transition from the one-dimensional β-model to the one-dimensional α-model. The possibility of the controllable creation of a quasi-periodic structure of stripe domains with an average period of 5 µm by a two-stage polarization switching process was demonstrated. The formation and growth of stripe domains were considered in terms of the kinetic approach to the evolution of the domain structure as a result of the domain walls’ motion under inefficient screening conditions caused by the presence of a modified surface layer. The abnormally low threshold fields were attributed to a presence of a “built-in” field facilitating switching, created by a composition gradient induced by soft proton exchange

Towards Proton Exchanged Photonic Wires in LiNbO3

International audienceUsing a modified Proton Exchange process we have realized Photonic Wires in X-cut LiNbO3. They exhibit highly confined mode, low propagation losses, low strain induced polarization coupling and no reduction of the nonlinear properties

Lithium niobate waveguides with high-index contrast and preserved nonlinearity fabricated by a high vacuum vapor-phase proton exchange

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