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Ferroelectric Crystals for Photonic Applications pp 313–335Cite as

Photonic Bandgap Properties of Lithium Niobate

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Part of the book series: Springer Series in Materials Science ((SSMATERIALS,volume 91))

Abstract

The development of all-optical, acousto-optical or electro-optical photonic crystals (PhCs) represents a stimulating challenge for the production of advanced functionalities in compact optical devices. LiNbO3 appears as an excellent candidate for such realizations, due to its well-known nonlinear, piezoelectric and electro-optic properties. Two main challenges need however to be overcome before LiNbO3 PhCs can be integrated in photonic circuits. The first one is related to the weak confinement of light in LiNbO3 waveguides, and the second one is the difficulty of producing high aspect ratio photonic crystals.

Easy-to-implement technologies are presented, in the view of producing high aspect ratio LiNbO3 PhCs in confined optical waveguides. Firstly, the photonic bandgap properties of lithium niobate are investigated theoretically and experimentally. A striking phenomenon of enhanced electro-optic coefficient is shown. Then, the fabrication processes are described, relying on optical grade dicing and focused ion beam milling. As a result, photonic crystals integrated into ridges waveguides show unexpectedly high sensitivity toward temperatures. Some perspectives for future work are given, including to the dense 3D integration of compact optical devices such as modulators, spectral filters or electric field sensors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to J.M. Merolla, T. Sylvestre and M. Roussey for fruitful discussions and to B. Guichardaz, R. Salut, L. Robert, V. Petrini, J.Y. Rauch and D. Bitschene for assistance in the various technological operations. This work was supported by the Action Concertée Incitative under project NANO #37 COBIAN, by the ANR “Matériaux et Procédés pour les Produits Innovants” under project CHARADE, and by the region of Franche-Comté.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département d’Optique P.-M. Duffieux, Institut FEMTO-ST, CNRS UMR 6174, Université de Franche-Comté, Besancon, France

    N. Courjal, F. I. Baida, M.-P. Bernal, J. Dahdah, C. Guyot, H. Lu, B. Sadani & G. Ulliac

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  1. N. Courjal
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  2. F. I. Baida
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  3. M.-P. Bernal
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  4. J. Dahdah
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  5. C. Guyot
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  6. H. Lu
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  7. B. Sadani
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  8. G. Ulliac
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M.-P. Bernal .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CNR National Institute of Optics, Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy

    Pietro Ferraro

  2. CNR National Institute of Applied Optics, Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy

    Simonetta Grilli

  3. CNR National Institute of Optics, Arcetri, Napoli, Italy

    Paolo De Natale

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Courjal, N. et al. (2014). Photonic Bandgap Properties of Lithium Niobate. In: Ferraro, P., Grilli, S., De Natale, P. (eds) Ferroelectric Crystals for Photonic Applications. Springer Series in Materials Science, vol 91. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41086-4_12

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