Poling Quality Enhancement of PPLN Devices Using Negative Multiple Pulse Poling Method

Abstract

A poling method using multiple negative voltage was introduced to fabricate periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) devices with quasi-phase matching (QPM) period of 12.9 μm by utilizing an real-time visualization system. We also performed variation of the electric field during the poling. Two different conventionally used poling method, negative and positive single pulses, were used and the poling quality compared through microscopic images and far-field diffraction pattern analysis. Etched images on the +z and –z surfaces of PPLN showed that negative multiple pulse poling presented the highest periodicity in domain structures among the three methods. Duty ratio and its standard deviation were measured by analyzing far-field diffraction patterns. The newly introduced method of negative multiple pulse poling had duty ratio of 0.42 which was close to the ideal value of 0.50 and standard deviation of 0.020 that was about 3 times smaller than that of the other conventional methods.