Minimizing dc drift in LiNbO3 waveguide devices

Abstract

Improved stability against electrical dc bias drift has been demonstrated in LiNbO3 electro-optic modulators by replacing the commonly used SiO2 buffer layer with indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductor. The long term drift of the modulators having an ITO buffer layer with a sheet resistivity of ∼20 Ω/⧠ is less than 0.3% in 8 h. The mechanism of the dc drift phenomenon is discussed using an electrical equivalent circuit model of the modulator.