Abstract

Due to their polarizing properties, power handling capabilities, and large index change, proton-exchanged (PE) LiNbO₃ waveguides [1] could potentially out-perform their Ti-diffused counterparts in a number of device applications. Despite these distinct advantages, PE waveguides have found only limited use in functional devices and circuits. One reason for this lack of use is a prohibitively high insertion loss in previous PE waveguides. There have also been reports of degradation of the r₃₃ electrooptic coefficient [2] and temporal instabilities [3] in PE waveguides.

© 1988 Optical Society of America