We report an interferometric analysis of 0.5mm thick lithium niobate crystal sample by making use of a reflective grating interferometer and a digital holographic technique. The lithium niobate wafer was subjected to electric field poling in order to obtain two antiparallel ferroelectric domains. The crystal was then mounted into one arm of the interferometer in order to study the phase map and consequently to evaluate the effects of domain reversion at the boundary. Engineering of periodically reversed domains in LN is extensively used for quasi-phase-matching applications while the ferroelectric structure investigated here is suitable for producing electro-optically controlled deflector or switch devices via total internal reflection at the domain interface. The above mentioned applications require deep knowledge of how the domain reversal process affects the optical properties of the ferroelectric crystals.

Date Published: 30 May 2003
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 5144, Optical Measurement Systems for Industrial Inspection III, (30 May 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.501840

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5144:
Optical Measurement Systems for Industrial Inspection III
Wolfgang Osten; Malgorzata Kujawinska; Katherine Creath, Editor(s)