Electro-optic effect in proton exchanged LiNbO3 andLiTaO3 waveguides

Electro-optic properties of proton-exchanged (PE) waveguide layers in LiTaO₃ and LiNbO₃ are studied and related to their optical characteristics. The proton-exchange process induces a degradation of the electro-optic activity in both types of waveguides, PE LiNbO₃ and PE LiTaO₃. The measured electro-optic effect is close to the detection sensitivity even when the exchange regime is performed at low temperatures for short periods of time. The PE samples have been annealed (APE waveguides) and the changes of their r₃₃ electro-optic coefficient has been followed at successively higher temperatures and periods of time. Subjected to annealing at temperatures between 265-420°C, the LiTaO₃ layers show a partially recovered r₃₃ coefficient, the recovering being different for quick and slow cooling of the samples. In thin APE LiNbO₃ waveguiding layers a restoration of r₃₃ up to 75% of the bulk value is observed due to the annealing at temperatures between 200-340°C     

Optical intensity modulator based on a novel electrooptic polymerincorporating high μβ chromophore

We have synthesized a novel electrooptic (EO) polymer based on a high μβ chromophore incorporating tricyanobutadiene acceptors. A crosslinked polyurethane network was also adopted to enhance its thermal stability. In order to find the optimum poling condition for the polymer, the influence of the electric poling profile on optical characteristics such as the EO effect, thermal stability, and damage was investigated. Then a high-speed intensity modulator using the EO polymer was designed and fabricated. The measured half-wave voltage V_π was 4.5 V at the wavelength of 1.31 μm. Accordingly, the achieved EO coefficient r₃₃ was as high as 25 pm/V, and the thermal stability of the poled polymer was as high as 95°C. Finally, the modulator was successfully operated up to 40 GHz     

LiNbO3 optical waveguides formed in a new proton source

Proton-exchanged planar waveguides have been fabricated on Z-cut and X-cut lithium niobate crystals by using a new proton source formed by a mixture of benzoic and adipic acids. Waveguide index profiles and optical characteristics have been obtained at different values of the adipic-benzoic acid concentration ratio. The samples have been structurally characterized by Raman and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy and double-crystal X-ray diffraction. Good quality samples have been fabricated by using 30 mol% ratio dilution, showing very low scattering levels (<0.1 dB/cm), relatively high electrooptic coefficient (r₃₃=0.88 pm/V), and low relative percentage of interstitial protons (26%). The main factor limiting the waveguide optical properties is the substitutional-interstitial proton ratio, which can be easily controlled to produce good quality waveguides. A demonstration of the repeatability of the exchange process in the acid mixture is also provided     

Optical, nonlinear optical, and electrooptical properties of4'-nitrobenzylidene-3-acetamino-4-methoxyaniline (MNBA) crystals

Optical, nonlinear optical, and electrooptical pg-properties of 4'-nitrobenzylidene-3-acetamino-4-methoxyaniline (MNBA) single crystals have been investigated. The refractive indices were determined in the wavelength range of 514 to 1064 nm using an interferometric method. The electrooptical coefficients r₁₁, r₁₃, r₃₁ , and r₃₃ were measured using a phase modulation technique. The dispersion of the largest electrooptical coefficient, r ₁₁ (=29 pm/V at λ=633 nm), was seen to follow the theoretical two-level model. Using the standard Maker fringe technique, we determined the nonlinear optical susceptibilities. The largest coefficient was found to be d₁₁=175 pm/V at λ=1064 nm. Electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation was used for the determination of the molecular second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility yielding a good quantitative agreement when compared with the largest nonlinear optical and electrooptical coefficients in the framework of the molecular gas model with charge transfer along the polar molecular axis. Electroabsorption measurements near the band edge were performed that allowed us to calculate the field-induced frequency shift of the dominant oscillator. This field-induced frequency shift is of the same order of magnitude as the frequency shift calculated from the electric field-induced changes of the refractive indices (electrooptical effect)     

Gain constant of two-wave mixing in periodically poledphotorefractive crystal waveguide

A photorefractive crystal waveguide with its c-axis periodically reversed along the waveguide axis is studied to realize enhanced two-wave mixing. The gain constant of two-wave mixing in the periodically poled photorefractive waveguide is theoretically derived in terms of mode-coupling analysis. It is found that, in BaTiO₃ periodically poled waveguides, the net two-wave mixing gain constant is increased by 1.5 to 5 times over that of conventional waveguides without periodical poling because the largest electrooptic coefficient r₄₂ can be effectively used by appropriately setting the angle between the c- and z-axes. Several types of test BaTiO₃ periodically poled waveguides are successfully fabricated by using the electrical poling technique. Typical lateral dimensions of the waveguides are O.5 to 1 mm, and the lengths are several millimetres. The measured two-wave mixing gain constants of the fabricated waveguides are well predicted by the theory     

Singlemode channel waveguides and electrooptic modulators in KTiOPO4 for the short visible wavelength region

Single-mode channel waveguides at short visible wavelengths have been fabricated in KTiOPO₄ by Rb&rlhar2;K ion exchange in mixed melts of RbNO₃-KNO₃-Ba(NO₃)₂ . The technological parameters have been chosen by means of theoretical WKB- and “effective index” calculations concerning the singlemode region of the effective channel waveguide index N₀₀ at the given wavelength. Great diffusion anisotropy and small dispersion of the surface refractive index change guarantee singlemode operation of the very same channel waveguide from the blue up to the red. Typical attenuation of about 2.0 dB/cm for TM- and 1.5 dB/cm for TE polarization was obtained at λ=0.5145 μm. Light-induced refractive index changes (photorefractive effect) have been determined as a function of time, wavelength, guided optical mode intensity and temperature. The light-induced effects in Rb&rlhar2;K ion-exchanged channel waveguides in KTiOPO₄ are about two orders of magnitude smaller than those in annealed proton-exchanged channel waveguides in LiNbO₃. Electrooptic phase modulators have been successfully investigated concerning dynamic V_π measurements, the electric-optical field overlap and dc-drift phenomena. Design, fabrication and experimental results of integrated-optic Mach-Zehnder-interferometer modulators for short visible wavelengths are presented     

Performance limits for channelized cellular telephone systems

Studies the performance of channel assignment algorithms for “channelized” (e.g., FDMA or TDMA) cellular telephone systems, via mathematical models, each of which is characterized by a pair (H,p), where H is a hypergraph describing the channel reuse restrictions, and p is a probability vector describing the variation of traffic intensity from cell to cell. For a given channel assignment algorithm, the authors define T(r) to be the amount of carried traffic, as a function of the offered traffic, where both r and T(r) are measured in Erlangs per channel. They show that for a given H and p, there exists a function T_H,p(r), which can be computed by linear programming, such that for every channel assignment algorithm, T(r)⩽T_H,p(r). Moreover, they show that there exist channel assignment algorithms whose performance approaches T_H,p (r) arbitrarily closely as the number of channels increases. As a corollary, they show that for a given (H,p) there is a number r₀ , which also can be computed by linear programming, such that if the offered traffic exceeds r₀, then for any channel assignment algorithm, a positive fraction of all call requests must be blocked, whereas if the offered traffic is less than r₀, all call requests can be honored, if the number of channels is sufficiently large. The authors call r₀, whose units are Erlangs per channel, the capacity of the cellular system     

High-Speed (60 GHz) and Low-Voltage-Driving Electroabsorption Modulator Using Two-Consecutive-Steps Selective-Undercut-Wet-Etching Waveguide

Based on a novel structure of waveguide, a broadband electroabsorption modulator (EAM) with low driving voltage and high extinction ratio has been demonstrated in this letter. The waveguide of InGaAsP-InP p-i-n layer structure is fabricated by two consecutive steps of selective undercut-wet-etching: 1)HCl : H₃PO₄ on p-InP (p- layer), and 2)H₃PO₄ : H₂O₂ : H₂O on InGaAsP (active region), showing a wide ridge with a narrow undercut active region. Low capacitance and low cladding impedance can thus be simultaneously attained in such waveguides, leading to low microwave loss and high-speed electrooptical (EO) response. A ridge as wide as 8 mum with a 3-mum- wide active region and a 450-nm gap height in the undercut portion has been fabricated. A 350- mum -long waveguide of EAM is designed, revealing a high extinction ratio of > 30 dB (D.C.) and a modulation efficiency of > 20 dB/V (D.C.) with polarization-insensitive operation at a wavelength of 1550 nm. As high as 60 GHz of a 3-dB bandwidth is measured in the high-speed EO conversion. Calculations by an equivalent circuit model are quite fitted with the measurement, revealing that broadband performance is mainly attributed to the low microwave propagation loss in such waveguides.     

Integrated optical device with second-harmonic generator,electrooptic lens, and electrooptic scanner in LiTaO3

This paper reports the first demonstration of an integrated optical device in z-cut LiTaO₃ that contains the following three functional parts: a quasiphase-matched second-harmonic generation (SHG) grating, an electrooptic (EO) lens, and an electrooptic scanner. The SHG device consists of channel waveguides passing through periodic domain-inverted gratings. The frequency of the input infrared (IR) light at 864 nm was doubled into blue light at 432 nm. A stack of EO lenses was used to collimate the light from the channel waveguide. The measured beam size at the output facet for various applied voltages to the lenses agreed with simulation. After collimation, light passes through an EO scanner that controls the angle of the output beam. A scanning sensitivity of 17 mrad/kV was measured for the scanner, compared to the calculated value of 15 mrad/kV     

Fiber-compatible K+-Na+ ion-exchanged channelwaveguides: fabrication and characterization

A systematic study of waveguides fabricated by K⁺-Na ⁺ exchange in soda-lime silicate and BK7 glasses is presented. The measured K⁺ concentration profile, the refractive index profile, and the diffusion profile obtained by solving the one-dimensional diffusion equation are correlated to explain the differences in the index profiles in the two glasses. The mobility of the potassium ions was measured by fabricating waveguides using electromigration. Surface waveguides formed by diffusion from a molten KNO₃ salt bath were buried by applying an electric field. Single-mode channel waveguides for operation at a wavelength of 1.3 μm that exhibit excellent mode matching with conventional optical fibers, achieving a fiber-waveguide insertion loss of less than 1 dB for a 20-mm-long waveguide, have been obtained     

LiNbO3 optical waveguide fabrication by high-temperatureproton exchange

An efficient method, the high-temperature proton exchange (HTPE), to fabricate high-quality LiNbO₃ optical waveguides is studied. The new proton exchange source, the stearic acid diluted by lithium stearate, is proposed for HTPE process. The known soft proton exchange (SPE) process can be realized by HTPE. There are no phase transitions when the α-phase waveguides are fabricated by SPE. This phase presents the same crystalline structure as that of LiNbO₃ and, as expected, maintains the excellent nonlinear and electrooptical properties of the bulk material. The kinetics of HTPE is studied     

Photorefractive effects in proton exchanged LiTaO3optical waveguides

A circuit model is proposed to describe photorefractive effects in LiNbO₃/LiTaO₃ channel waveguides at any intensity level. Capacitive charge storage at the waveguide boundaries is assumed to be provided by trapping states associated with photoconductivity. A consequence of this model is that photoconductive transients are independent of optical intensity at low intensity levels. Photovoltaic and photoconductive effects in proton exchange LiTaO₃ channel waveguides were experimentally investigated. Dark conductivities of 2×10^-15 to 2 ×10^-14(Ω-cm)^-1 were extrapolated from photoconductivities up to 2×10^-13 (Ω-cm)^-1 for power levels of 0.1 to 3 mW. Large DC voltage dependent effects on the conductivity were observed. Straight channel waveguides were observed to be free of photovoltaic effects for output power levels below 35-75 mW     

Electrooptic coefficient measurements in LiTaO3 andLiNbO3 waveguides

The magnitudes of linear electrooptic coefficients r₁₃ and r₃₃ in Zn:LiTaO₃ repoled channel waveguides are reported. The measurements were made at 0.633-μm wavelength using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The waveguides were produced by diffusion from the vapor phase at a temperature above the Curie temperature. For full recovery of the Pockels effect, an electric field of 200 V/cm is needed during repoling. The measured values of r₁₃ and r₃₃ at 32-MHz modulation frequency are 7.2 and 30.3 pm/V, respectively. The difference between unclamped and clamped coefficients is comparable to that from bulk crystals. Measurements were also made on Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguides that did not require repoling, and good agreement with bulk crystal values was obtained     

A suboptimal lossy data compression based on approximate patternmatching

A practical suboptimal (variable source coding) algorithm for lossy data compression is presented. This scheme is based on approximate string matching, and it naturally extends the lossless Lempel-Ziv (1977) data compression scheme. Among others we consider the typical length of an approximately repeated pattern within the first n positions of a stationary mixing sequence where D percent of mismatches is allowed. We prove that there exists a constant r₀(D) such that the length of such an approximately repeated pattern converges in probability to 1/r₀(D) log n (pr.) but it almost surely oscillates between 1/r_-∞(D) log n and 2/r₁(D) log n, where r _-∞(D)>r₀(D)>r₁(D)/2 are some constants. These constants are natural generalizations of Renyi entropies to the lossy environment. More importantly, we show that the compression ratio of a lossy data compression scheme based on such an approximate pattern matching is asymptotically equal to r₀(D). We also establish the asymptotic behavior of the so-called approximate waiting time N_l which is defined as the time until a pattern of length C repeats approximately for the first time. We prove that log N_l/l→r₀(D) (pr.) as l→∞. In general, r₀(D)>R(D) where R(D) is the rate distortion function. Thus for stationary mixing sequences we settle in the negative the problem investigated by Steinberg and Gutman by showing that a lossy extension of the Wyner-Ziv (1989) scheme cannot be optimal     

n-p-n silicon lateral phototransistors for hybrid integrated optical circuits

An etched mesa silicon lateral phototransistor (EMS-LPT) suitable for detecting the light signal from optical channel waveguides has been designed and fabricated. In this paper both n⁺-p-n⁺uniform base and n⁺-p-p^--n⁺double-diffused EMS-LPT's are reported. The photoactive region of the EMS-LPT is highly localized and can be easily coupled either via an evanescent field or to a grating coupler on a channel waveguide. Light coupling, gain, speed, and signal-to-noise ratio of the device are thereby greatly improved. The fabrication techniques of the EMS-LPT's are compatible with those of MOSFET's, permitting integration of multiple EMS-LPT's and MOSFET load transistors to form optically addressed inverters on the same silicon chip. By flip-chip bonding LiNbO3and silicon substrates and coupling LiNbO3channel waveguides to EMS-LPT's via grating couplers, we produce electrooptic switches with optical input and output.     

Improved gain performance in Yb3+-sensitized Er3+-doped alumina (Al2O3) channel opticalwaveguide amplifiers

Small-signal amplification in short, Yb³⁺-sensitized, Er³⁺-doped alumina (Al₂O₃) channel optical waveguides with high Er³⁺ concentrations is analyzed. Taking into account uniform up conversion, excited state absorption (ESA) from the Er³⁺ metastable level (⁴I_13/2 ), and Yb³⁺→Er³⁺ energy transfer by cross relaxation, the obtainable gain improvements compared to Yb³⁺ -free Er³⁺-doped Al₂O₃ optical waveguides are investigated. The amplifier model is based on propagation and population rate equations and is solved numerically by combining finite elements and the Runge-Kutta algorithm. The analysis predicts that 5-cm long Yb³⁺/Er³⁺ co-doped Al₂O ₃ waveguides show 13-dB net signal gain for 100 mW pump power at λ_p=980 nm     

Quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation indiazo-dye-substituted polymer channel waveguides

First-order quasi-phase-matched (QPM) second-harmonic generation (SHG) is demonstrated in a poled diazo-dye-substituted polymer channel waveguide. The channel waveguide with a nonlinear grating was fabricated by the serial grafting technique using conventional photolithography and reactive ion etching. The dependence of the conversion efficiency on both the waveguide parameter and the grating structure was derived theoretically. A normalized internal conversion efficiency of 1.1% W^-1 cm^-2 at 1.586 μm was obtained in the fabricated waveguide with a phase-matched interaction length of 3.4 mm. The experimentally obtained conversion efficiency is compared with the theoretical value, taking into account the effect of mode-mismatching and propagation loss     

Fabrication of photonic waveguides in sulfide chalcogenide glasses by selective wet-etching

A selective wet-etching method for micro-fabricating As₂S₃ glass ridge waveguides, using CS₂ solution with iodine as an oxidising reactant, has been developed. The proposed method is based on photo-induced changes in chalcogenide glasses, and therefore can be free of photomasks and photoresists. The optical properties of such etched ridge waveguides have been tested and they exhibit a more than 2 dB/cm loss reduction compared to laser direct-written channel waveguides.     

中红外4 μm波长下MgF2晶体脊形光波导的制备及特性研究（特邀）

为了研究离子与中红外晶体相互作用的机理,探索中红外晶体光波导的制备和性能,采用离子辐照技术结合精密金刚石刀切割,在MgF₂晶体材料中制备了深度17.5 μm、宽度14 μm的脊形光波导。采用SRIM软件模拟了C5+离子辐照MgF₂晶体的电子能量损伤和核能量损伤的过程,分析了波导的形成机理;模拟了波导的折射率变化,并对波导的近场模式进行了实验测量和理论模拟;采用热退火处理来降低波导的传输损耗,将传输损耗降低为0.4 dB/cm;微拉曼光谱证明离子辐照过程并未对MgF₂晶体波导区造成较大的晶格损伤。该工作表明,离子辐照技术结合划片机精密切割是一种十分成熟的脊形波导制备手段,制备的MgF₂晶体脊形光波导在中红外集成光学和光通讯领域具有广泛的应用前景。     

An integrated optic adiabatic TE/TM mode splitter on silicon

A compact integrated optic fundamental TE/TM mode splitter, based on the mode-sorting characteristics of an asymmetrical adiabatic Y junction of optical waveguides exhibiting shape birefringence, operating at 1550 nm, is designed, using the discrete sine method (DSM) and the beam propagation method (BPM). The structures are fabricated in a system of SiO₂, SiO_xN_y, and Si₃N ₄ layers, using a low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD) process, compatible with standard silicon IC processing