Lithium Niobate Photonics

Book excerpt: This new resource presents the concepts, technologies, and design techniques for devices based on the electro-optic effect in lithium niobate. It bridges from the theory of photonics and electro-optics, to the practice of electro-optic device design and application. There is an emphasis on practical analysis using modern modeling tools. The book explains the fundamental physics of the electro-optic effect, classes of electro-optic materials, electro-optic properties of lithium niobate, and the physics and uses of ferroelectric domain inversion. Readers are also provided with the principles of operation, performance measures, and design considerations for the most common types of electro-optic devices: beam deflectors, intensity and phase modulators, including quasi-phased matched devices.