Reconfigurable optical channel waveguides in lithium niobate crystals produced by combination of low-dose O3+ ion implantation and selective white light illumination

We report on a new method to form reconfigurable channel waveguides in lithium niobate crystals, based on a combination of low-dose O3+ ion implantation and selective white light illumination. The fabricated structures show low loss as well as rather high resistivity against optical erasure with red or infrared light, while at the same time reconfiguration of the structures remains possible using homogeneous white light illumination. The transmission properties of the channel waveguide modes can be well simulated numerically by the beam propagation method, which allows for the fabrication of tailored optical interconnections. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America