Abstract
Proton-exchange is a low temperature process (140°C to 300°C) involving a chemical reaction between lithium niobate and acid in which lithium ions exchange with protons(1). The resulting waveguides have a step-like refractive index profile with Δne= 0.125 (λ= 0.6328μm)(2). There are a number of problems associated with proton-exchanged waveguides, namely relaxation of effective mode indices(3), d.c. drift effects(4), high propagation losses(5) and a substantially reduced electro-optic effect(6). Although methods have been developed to avoid, for example, the relaxation of effective mode indices(7), devices are still limited in their performance due to the reduced electro-optic effect and high propagation losses. For the first time, we report the possibility of fabricating waveguides with propagation losses reduced to 1/10 of the losses of 'as-exchanged' waveguides and an r33 value approximately 2/3 of the bulk value.
© 1988 Optical Society of America
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