Abstract

Electrooptic materials, particularly LiNbO₃, are used to fabricate optical waveguides and a variety of integrated optics devices¹. However, the performance of this devices is hampered by the light-induced change in refractive index which leads to mode degradation. This damage or photorefractive effect (PRE) has been extensively investigated² for LiNbO₃ and a number of experiments have dealt with mode degradation in waveguides^3,4,5. However, the theoretical description of these phenomena is in a very preliminary and insatisfactory stage.

© 1990 Optical Society of America