Abstract

Over the last fifty years, lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) and lithium tantalate (LiTaO₃) ferroeiectrics have emerged as key materials for electro-optics^1,2 and nonlinear optical devices.³ Many of these applications require microengineering ferroelectric domains into diverse shapes and length scales. However, until recently no direct probing techniques have been used to study these domain processes in situ. Recently, key breakthroughs have been made in the real-time video observation of the nucleation and growth dynamics of ferroelectric domains under external fields using Electro-Optic Imaging Microscopy (EOIM). The EOIM exploits the electro-optic effect in the material to create a refractive index contrast at a domain wall under external electric Helds, which is then optically imaged.⁴

© 2000 Optical Society of America