Cong-Xian Qiu

Zr4+ diffusion-doping effect on refractive index of LiNbO3: A comparison with bulk-doping case

Zr4+-doped LiNbO3 plates were prepared by diffusion of ZrO2 films coated onto congruent LiNbO3 substrates in wet O2. After diffusion, Zr4+-doping effect on refractive index of LiNbO3 and Li2O out diffusion were studied by prism coupling technique. The results show that the Li2O out diffusion is ignorable and Zr4+ doping has little effect on both the ordinary and extraordinary indices. The little effect of diffusion-doping is clearly different from the bulk doping case reported previously, in which both ordinary and extraordinary indices show definite Zr4+ doping concentration effect. The difference is attributed to the different ion arrangements from crystal growth to in-diffusion.

Optical-Damage-Resistant Ti-Diffused LiNbO 3 Strip Waveguide Doped With Scandium

We report Sc3+-doped Ti:LiNbO3 (Ti:Sc:LN) strip waveguide fabricated by Ti-diffusion following homogeneous Sc3+-diffusion-doping in a Z-cut congruent substrate. We show that Sc3+-doping has little contribution to the substrate index and the Li2O out-diffusion was effectively suppressed. The refractive index increases in the waveguide layer are mainly contributed from the Ti4+ dopants. The waveguide well supports both transverse electric (TE) and magnetic (TM) modes, is single-mode at 1.5-μm wavelength, and has a loss of 1.4 dB/cm for the TE mode and 1.8 dB/cm for the TM mode. A secondary ion mass spectrometry study shows that the Sc3+-profile covers 80% ordinary refractive index profile and almost 100% extraordinary refractive index profile, and the 1/e Sc3+ concentration is above the threshold of photorefractive effect. Further, two-beam hologram recording experimental results verify the optical-damage-resistant feature of the waveguide. Highlights are given for fabrication of an optical-damage-resistant Ti:Sc:LN waveguide.

Diffusion control of an ion by another in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals

Diffusion-doping is an effective, practical method to improve material properties and widen material application. Here, we demonstrate a new physical phenomenon: diffusion control of an ion by another in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals. We exemplify Ti4+/Xn+ (Xn+ = Sc3+, Zr4+, Er3+) co-diffusion in the widely studied LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals. Some Ti4+/Xn+-co-doped LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 plates were prepared by co-diffusion of stacked Ti-metal and Er-metal (Sc2O3 or ZrO2) films coated onto LiNbO3 or LiTaO3 substrates. The Ti4+/Xn+-co-diffusion characteristics were studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry. In the Xn+-only diffusion case, the Xn+ diffuses considerably slower than the Ti4+. In the Ti4+/Xn+ co-diffusion case, the faster Ti4+ controls the diffusion of the slower Xn+. The Xn+ diffusivity increases linearly with the initial Ti-metal thickness and the increase depends on the Xn+ species. The phenomenon is ascribed to the generation of additional defects induced by the diffusion of faster Ti4+ ions, which favors and assists the subsequent diffusion of slower Xn+ ion. For the diffusion system studied here, it can be utilized to substantially shorten device fabrication period, improve device performance and produce new materials.

Refractive Index in Ti:LiNbO 3 Fabricated by Ti Diffusion and Post-Li-Rich VTE

Multimode near-stoichiometric (NS) Ti:LiNbO3 planar waveguide was fabricated by Ti-diffusion followed by post-Li-rich vapor transport equilibration. The crystalline phase, composition and guided modes in the planar waveguide were characterized. The refractive index profile in the waveguide is constructed from the measured mode indices using the inverse Wentzel-Krames-Brillouin method and correlated with the Ti profile obtained from secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis. The results show that the LiNbO3 phase dominates in the waveguide layer and the waveguide has an NS composition. The index increase has a linear relation to Ti-concentration for both cases of ordinary and extraordinary rays, and the relationship is considerably different from those of some congruent or NS bulk materials or waveguides. A comparison of various congruent and NS bulk materials or waveguides allows to conclude that the relationship changes from congruent to NS composition, from one fabrication method to another and from bulk material to waveguide configuration.

Strip Waveguide With High Diffusion-Doped Concentration

We report a Ti:Er:LiNbO3 strip waveguide with high diffusion-doped surface Er3+ concentration. The waveguide was fabricated with a technological process in sequence of preparation of noncongruent, Li-deficient LiNbO3 substrate by performing Li-poor vapor transport equilibration treatment on a congruent Z-cut LiNbO3 plate, diffusion of 40-nm-thick Er metal film, and fabrication of 8-μm-wide Ti-diffused strip waveguide. The waveguide retains the LiNbO3 phase and shows the waveguiding characteristics similar to the conventional Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide. Secondary ion mass spectrometry study shows that the Er3+ diffusion reservoir was exhausted and the profile is Gaussian with a surface concentration two times larger than that of the conventional Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide. The waveguide shows stable 1547-nm small-signal enhancement under the 1480-nm pumping without serious optical damage observed, and a 5-dB signal enhancement is obtained for the available coupled pump power of only 90 mW. A saturated net gain as much as 5 dB/cm is predicted theoretically.

Relation of Refractive Index Change to Ti-Concentration in Ti-Diffused LiNbO 3 Waveguide Doped With Sc 3+

Multimode Ti⁴⁺-diffused LiNbO₃ planar waveguide doped with Sc³⁺ ions was fabricated by codiffusion of stacked Sc₂O₃ and Ti-metal thin film coated onto Z-cut congruent LiNbO₃ substrate at 1060 °C in wet O₂. The Ti⁴⁺-concentration was profiled by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The refractive index profile is constructed from measured mode index, and correlated with the Ti⁴⁺ profile. Other two related issues including the contribution of Sc³⁺-doping to substrate refractive index and Li₂O out-diffusion were also studied. The results show that the Sc³⁺-doping has little contribution to the substrate index and the Li₂O out-diffusion was effectively suppressed. The index change and Ti ⁴⁺-concentration follow an exponential relationship with a power index 0.54/0.79 for the ordinary/extraordinary ray. The relationship is similar to that of conventional Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguide because of little contribution of Sc³⁺-doping to the substrate index and effective suppression for Li₂O out-diffusion. Some considerations for fabricating an optical-damage-resistant Ti:Sc:LiNbO₃ waveguide are given.

Notice of Retraction

We report a Ti:Er:LiNbO3 strip waveguide with high diffusion-doped surface Er3+ concentration. The waveguide was fabricated with a technological process in sequence of preparation of noncongruent, Li-deficient LiNbO3 substrate by performing Li-poor vapor transport equilibration treatment on a congruent Z-cut LiNbO3 plate, diffusion of 40-nm-thick Er metal film, and fabrication of 8-μm-wide Ti-diffused strip waveguide. The waveguide retains the LiNbO3 phase and shows the waveguiding characteristics similar to the conventional Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide. Secondary ion mass spectrometry study shows that the Er3+ diffusion reservoir was exhausted and the profile is Gaussian with a surface concentration two times larger than that of the conventional Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide. The waveguide shows stable 1547-nm small-signal enhancement under the 1480-nm pumping without serious optical damage observed, and a 5-dB signal enhancement is obtained for the available coupled pump power of only 90 mW. A saturated net gain as much as 5 dB/cm is predicted theoretically.

{\rm Ti}{:}{\rm Er}{:}{\rm LiNbO}_{3}

We report a Ti:Er:LiNbO3 strip waveguide with high diffusion-doped surface Er3+ concentration. The waveguide was fabricated with a technological process in sequence of preparation of noncongruent, Li-deficient LiNbO3 substrate by performing Li-poor vapor transport equilibration treatment on a congruent Z-cut LiNbO3 plate, diffusion of 40-nm-thick Er metal film, and fabrication of 8-μm-wide Ti-diffused strip waveguide. The waveguide retains the LiNbO3 phase and shows the waveguiding characteristics similar to the conventional Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide. Secondary ion mass spectrometry study shows that the Er3+ diffusion reservoir was exhausted and the profile is Gaussian with a surface concentration two times larger than that of the conventional Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide. The waveguide shows stable 1547-nm small-signal enhancement under the 1480-nm pumping without serious optical damage observed, and a 5-dB signal enhancement is obtained for the available coupled pump power of only 90 mW. A saturated net gain as much as 5 dB/cm is predicted theoretically.

Strip Waveguide With High Diffusion-Doped

We report a Ti:Er:LiNbO3 strip waveguide with high diffusion-doped surface Er3+ concentration. The waveguide was fabricated with a technological process in sequence of preparation of noncongruent, Li-deficient LiNbO3 substrate by performing Li-poor vapor transport equilibration treatment on a congruent Z-cut LiNbO3 plate, diffusion of 40-nm-thick Er metal film, and fabrication of 8-μm-wide Ti-diffused strip waveguide. The waveguide retains the LiNbO3 phase and shows the waveguiding characteristics similar to the conventional Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide. Secondary ion mass spectrometry study shows that the Er3+ diffusion reservoir was exhausted and the profile is Gaussian with a surface concentration two times larger than that of the conventional Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide. The waveguide shows stable 1547-nm small-signal enhancement under the 1480-nm pumping without serious optical damage observed, and a 5-dB signal enhancement is obtained for the available coupled pump power of only 90 mW. A saturated net gain as much as 5 dB/cm is predicted theoretically.