Photorefractive effects in proton-exchanged LiTaO3 waveguides

Abstract

The proton exchange (PE) technique has been used to form high-quality waveguides in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3.1 LiTaO3 offers an advantage over LiNbO3 owing to its lower susceptibility to photorefractive effects (optical damage),2 making it suitable for high-power applications. Previous reports on photorefractive effects in PE LiTaO3 have primarily addressed power transmission through channel waveguides.3 At present, the mechanisms responsible for the improved photorefractive behavior of PE LiTaO3 are not well understood. Here we present quantitative results in active PE LiTaO3 devices and examine both photovoltaic and photoconductive contributions to the photorefractive effect.