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Polarization Independent, Tunable Waveguide Bragg

Gratings in Lithium Niobate by Femtosecond Laser
Micromachining
S. Kroesen, J. Imbrock, C. Denz
University of Muenster, Institute of Applied Physics & Center for Nonlinear Science, Corrensstr. 2-4, 48149 Münster, Germany
Email : s.kroesen@wwu.de

Abstract: We report integration of two-dimensional waveguide Bragg gratings that support low
loss, polarization independent guiding and tunable reflection spectra around λ=1.55 µm. Effective
nonlinear coefficients of r13=7.73 pm/V and r33=25.62 pm/V are shown.
OCIS codes: (230.7370) Waveguides; (230.1480) Bragg reflectors; (160.2100) Electro-optical materials; (230.3120)
Integrated optics devices

1. Introduction
Optical waveguides and integrated optical devices such as modulators or narrowband filters are the fundamental
components of optical communications and signal processing. In addition to common lithographic techniques, direct
femtosecond laser micromachining is recognized as a versatile tool to inscribe these waveguide structures into
various materials including glasses, crystals and ceramics [1-2]. Besides isotropic glasses such as fused silica,
lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is of particular interest as a host material due to its excellent nonlinear properties.
However, in contrast to fused silica, where a positive refractive index modification inside the focal volume of the
writing beam can be achieved for a large range of parameters, the refractive index of LiNbO3 is either locally
reduced or asymmetrically increased in vicinity of the focus. This behavior, referred to as type-I / II modification, is
determined by the writing laser properties e.g. pulse energy and repetition rate, and requires a more elaborate two-
dimensional writing geometry [3-4]. Furthermore, it has been shown that the required nonlinear response of the bulk
material may be reduced due to material processing, which is a shortcoming for efficient frequency conversion and
signal processing.
In this contribution, we overcome these limitations implementing a circular waveguide geometry that supports
both, ordinary and extraordinary polarized modes. Moreover, we demonstrate waveguide embedded Bragg gratings
(WGBGs) combined with integrated electrodes realized by femtosecond ablation. Fast electro-optic tuning of more
than a full width half maximum (FWHM) and nearly preserved nonlinear coefficients (>80%) are demonstrated.
2. Monolithic integration of tunable waveguides and embedded Bragg gratings
The inscription setup is based on a Yb:KGW femtosecond laser system with up to 2 mJ pulse energy at λ = 1028 nm
central wavelength and a three-dimensional translation stage with nanometer precision. Commercially available
lithium niobate wafers with a thickness of 0.5 mm are cut into 10×10 mm2 samples. All surfaces are polished to
optical quality to achieve efficient coupling. The structures are inscribed using a 100× microscope objective with a
numerical aperture of 0.8. The c-axis of the x-cut sample is oriented perpendicular to the waveguide direction to
access the largest nonlinear coefficient r33 of LiNbO3 for extraordinary polarized probe light.
We have developed a circular waveguide geometry that compensates for the anisotropic refractive index
modification in lithium niobate. Low propagation loss and single mode guiding for s-, and p-polarized probe light at
λ = 1.55 µm is achieved. The coupling facet of a WGBG with 15 µm core diameter is shown in the inset of Fig. 1(b),
where the white spots indicate the filaments created by the writing beam. To induce high contrast permanent
structures with short inscription durations, the lines are inscribed using pulse energies of 50 nJ to 125 nJ at 100 kHz
repetition rate and a translation velocity of 8 mm/s.
Second order Bragg gratings with a period of Λ = 704 nm are realized using a multiscan technique [5]. In
contrast to direct point-by-point integration of strong type-II gratings [6], where the translation velocity of the linear
stage is locked to the repetition rate of the laser, the entire core volume of the waveguide is successively scanned
and modified using position-locked pulse fireing with high precision. Since a smooth refractive index modulation
and good power transmission of the processed material is required, significantly lower pulse energies of 3.4 nJ to
4.1 nJ at 10 kHz repetition rate and a reduced translation velocity of 0.3 mm/s are used. Finally, integrated electrodes
with a spacing of 65 µm are fabricated by femtosecond laser material ablation to enable low operating voltages and
high bandwidth response.
 BW2D.3.pdf Advanced Photonics © 2014 OSA

Figure 1: (a) Electro-optic tuning of the central Bragg reflection maxima by an external electric field. A spectral tunability of more than a FWHM
(>1.3 nm) is achieved for p-polarized probe light and both effective nonlinear coefficients are precisely determined. A phase contrast image of the
coupling facet is shown in the inset where the white elongated spots indicate the inscribed lines. Reflection spectra of a 0.5 mm long embedded
Bragg grating for (b) ordinary and (c) extraordinary input polarization and corresponding mode profiles (insets). Numerical calculations
(black solid lines) are performed to calculate the refractive index modulation of ∆no = 7∙10-4 and ∆ne = 3.15∙10-4, respectively.

3. Guiding properties and spectral response of waveguide embedded Bragg gratings in lithium niobate
The two-dimensional waveguide structure provides very good mode confinement and appropriate power
transmission for both ordinary and extraordinary input polarization. A propagation loss as low as 1.14 dB/cm for s-
polarized (∆no) probe light and 3.51 dB/cm for p-polarized (∆ne) light is achieved by precisely adapting the
waveguide geometry and pulse energy. The transmitted mode profiles and corresponding reflection spectra are
shown in Fig. 1(b-c). Particularly p-polarization, which the structure was optimized for, shows a nearly perfect
circularity of 98%. A 0.5 mm long Bragg grating was realized inside the waveguide with a pulse energy of 3.65 nJ.
Numerical calculations are performed to evaluate the refractive index modulation of ∆no = 7∙10-4 and ∆ne = 3.15∙10-4
(black solid lines). The wavelength offset of 49.8 nm is in good agreement with the birefringence of lithium niobate.
The nonlinear electro-optic response is shown in Fig. 1(a). With a bandwidth of 1.1 nm and a maximum shift of
the central wavelength of 1.3 nm a spectral tunability of more than a full width half maximum (FWHM) is achieved
for p-polarized light. By tracing the relative peak shift we determine the effective nonlinear coefficient to be r33 =
25.62 pm/V. In contrast to previous experiments where the nonlinear response was depleted by 50% [6], the electro-
optic coefficients are preserved by more than 80% with respect to the unprocessed material, which is essential for
high quality functional integrated optical devices. All of these integration steps are conducted within the same setup
in a single-step process demonstrating the flexibility of the direct femtosecond laser writing approach.
4. Conclusions
In conclusion, direct integration of tunable waveguide embedded Bragg gratings is presented. Low loss single mode
guiding is achieved by a two-dimensional waveguide geometry. In particular, the presented structures support
extraordinary polarization which is the key feature for functional optical devices and nonlinear signal processing. A
spectral tunability of more than a peak half width is demonstrated.
5. References
[1] G. Della Valle, R. Osellame, and P. Laporta, "Micromachining of photonic devices by femtosecond laser pulses," Journal of Optics A: Pure
and Applied Optics 11, 013001 (2009).
[2] R. Osellame, G. Cerullo, and R. Ramponi, Femtosecond Laser Micromachining: Photonic and Microfluidic Devices in Transparent Materials
(Springer, 2012).
[3] F. Chen and J. R. V. de Aldana, "Optical waveguides in crystalline dielectric materials produced by femtosecond-laser micromachining,"
Laser & Photonics Reviews 8, 251–275 (2014).
[4] J. Thomas et al. "Laser direct writing: Enabling monolithic and hybrid integrated solutions on the lithium niobate platform," physica status
solidi (a) 208, 276–283 (2011).
[5] S. Gross, M. Ams, D. G. Lancaster, T. M. Monro, A. Fuerbach, and M. J. Withford, "Femtosecond direct-write überstructure waveguide
Bragg gratings in ZBLAN," Opt. Lett. 37, 3999–4001 (2012).
[6] W. Horn, S. Kroesen, J. Herrmann, J. Imbrock, and C. Denz, "Electro-optical tunable waveguide Bragg gratings in lithium niobate induced by
femtosecond laser writing," Opt. Express 20, 26922–26928 (2012).