Integrated Acoustooptic Device Modules for Communications, Signal Processing, and Computing

Abstract

Numerous advancements have been made in planar guided-wave acoustooptics in recent years. These advancements include analytical treatment of complex interaction geometry, design and fabrication of wideband Bragg modulators and deflectors (Bragg cells), and demonstration of a number of novel applications. The continuing progress in the fabrication and performance of other components including optical waveguides, waveguide lenses, diode laser sources and photodetector arrays, and their integration has significantly advanced the prospects for realization of integrated acoustooptic (AO) device modules and circuits. The most notable examples of such modules are the hybrid integrated optic RF spectrum analyzer and correlator in LiNbO3 substrate. In this paper some of the most recent advancements on guided-wave acoustooptics in LiNbO3 channel-planar and spherical waveguides and in GaAs planar waveguides made in the author's laboratory are reported. Emphasis is placed on realization and measurement of titanium-indiffused proton-exchanged (TIPE) microlens-based integrated Bragg modulator modules in LiNbO3 channel-planar composite waveguides. These integrated AO modules have been shown to take up a small substrate dimension (up to 2.0 cm) along the optical path and are also inherently of high modularity and versatility. Some applications of the LiNbO3 channel-planar waveguide- and spherical waveguide-based device modules for wideband multichannel integrated- and fiber-optic communications, signal processing, and computing are also described.