Zeroth-order half-wave plates of LiNbO₃ for integrated optics applications at 1.55 μm

Abstract

Reports on fabrication and characterization of the first zeroth-order half-wave plates of LiNbO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> obtained by crystal ion slicing (CIS). Polarization rotation was demonstrated in 10-μm-thick freestanding LiNbO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> films with 30-dB conversion ratios and negligible material loss. Polarization-independent performance was demonstrated in a hybrid-optic device comprising a CIS wave plate integrated with single-mode silica-based channel waveguides.