Optical waveguide fabrication in z-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) using femtosecond pulses in the low repetition rate regime

TLDR: In this paper, two different types of waveguide structures are fabricated in z-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) using focussed femtosecond pulses.

Abstract: Waveguide structures are fabricated in z-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) using focussed femtosecond pulses Two different types of waveguide structure are fabricated depending on the pulse energy used In the first, guiding occurs in regions directly surrounding a visible laser-damage region In the second, guiding occurs in a material modification region created at the focus High confinement guiding at 1550nm is demonstrated in the first type of waveguide but found to be temporary, thus indicating that at least part of the refractive index change is due to phenomena such as stress that are subject to relaxation Finally, the polarization dependent guiding properties of the structures are investigated