LiNbO₃guided-wave interferometric modulators

Abstract

Abstract The development and applications of LiNbO3 optical guided-wave modulators is reviewed. These devices are single-mode waveguide versions of Mach-Zehnder interferometers and are formed by diffusion of Ti into LiNbO3. Optical circuits which contain modulator arrays are under development for applications in high-speed analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion, picosecond sampling, optical logic, frequency modulation and optical temperature sensing. In addition, it is shown that the modulators are effective devices to evaluate waveguide characteristics, in particular the properties of proton-exchanged guides.