Vapor-phase proton-exchange in lithium tantalate for high-quality waveguides fabrication

Vapor-phase proton-exchange has been applied to lithium tantalate for the first time, as a waveguide fabrication technique. This technique provides alpha-phase waveguides without the need for annealing. A sealed ampoule set-up has been used employing pure benzoic acid as the vapor source. Various waveguides have been realized and optically characterized by means of standard m-lines spectroscopy. The profile shape is a step plus an exponential tail toward the substrate, as that found for vapor-phase proton-exchange waveguides in lithium niobate. The total depth of the refractive index profile increases with the exchange time, following a linear diffusion model. The ordinary index change has been determined by an interferometric method, giving values that confirmed the alpha-crystallographic phase of the fabricated waveguides. The propagation losses have been measured with a new method using an isosceles coupling prism and an out-coupling objective. The values found for the different modes of the various waveguides ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 dB/cm. An aging phenomenon in the fabricated waveguides has been observed during the first month after the exchange process. The extraordinary index change decreased of 5%, while the optical depth increased of 2%. Application of this technology to periodically poled substrates for QPM devices seems feasible.