Abstract

Lithium niobate guided wave devices are currently being investigated for use in fiber optic systems operating at 1.3 to 1.5 um. At these wavelengths, little information exists on susceptibility of the devices to photorefractive damage. In this paper, we present clear evidence of the photorefractive effect in titanium indiffused Lithium Niobate directional couplers at a wavelength of 1.3 um. Using coupled mode theory, the index changes due to the effect can be inferred and used to calculate the crosstalk due to the effect in a coupler of known length and input power.

© 1987 Optical Society of America