Creating integrated optics with ion-sliced lithium niobate combined with patterned silicon or silicon nitride

Abstract

Design, fabrication, and measurement aspects of integrated optic devices based on ion-sliced lithium niobate combined with patterned silicon or silicon nitride are presented. Combining sub-micrometer thin films of lithium niobate with patterned thin film materials produces a platform for compact integrated optics with second order susceptibility. Hybrid silicon and lithium niobate waveguides are designed at 1550 nm wavelength with micrometer scale mode field diameter. Bend losses are less than 0.1 dB/cm for radii as small as 10 μm. Two hybrid silicon and lithium niobate electro-optic devices are shown, namely, an RF electric-field sensor with an experimentally demonstrated sensitivity of 4.5 V m-1 Hz-1/2 and an electro-optic ring modulator with experimentally demonstrated digital modulation of 4.5 Gb/s at 4.5 dB extinction ratio. A hybrid silicon nitride and lithium niobate device is also presented for quasi-phase matched second harmonic generation. Periodic poling of thin films of x-cut magnesium oxide doped lithium niobate has been achieved with a poling period of 7.5 μm. Chip-scale electro-optics and nonlinear optics are envisioned for classical and quantum communications, sensing, and computing applications.