Proton exchanged LiNbO 3 and LiTaO 3 optical waveguides and integrated optic devices

We show that proton exchanged LiNbO3 waveguides exhibit very complex structural chemistry. Seven HxLi1-x NbO3 and six HxLi1-xTaO3 crystallographic phases have been identified in PE LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 waveguides, respectively. A correlation is done between the electrooptical, nonlinear and photorefractive properties, the processing conditions and the refractive index changes of the waveguides. Some integrated optical devices have been realized.