Product Code: ICAL07_M101

Femtosecond Laser Induced Structural Modifications in Lithium Niobate for Integrated Optical Applications (Invited Paper - 40 Minute Presentation)
Authors:
Stefan Nolte, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Jens Thomas, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Jonas Burghoff, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Andreas Tünnermann, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Antonio Ancona, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Felix Dreisow, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena; Jena Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2007

Within the past years the use of ultrashort laser pulses has found widespread attention for the localized microstructuring of transparent materials. The induced changes of the refractive index allow the direct-writing of waveguides along arbitrary paths into various glasses and crystals. In this presentation we will give an overview of the different structural modifications that can be induced in LiNbO3 with ultrashort pulses. LiNbO3 is one of the most important and versatile materials for various photonic applications due to its outstanding electro-optic, nonlinear and photorefractive properties. We will discuss the origin of the observed modifications, the physical mechanisms responsible for the resulting refractive index changes and the use of these structures for optical waveguides. A focus will be on the resulting modifications of the nonlinear optical properties of the crystal. Application examples like electro-optic modulators or efficient frequency conversion within waveguides will be highlighted.