Abstract

As optical components continue to replace electronics for optical signal processing applications, there is a growing impetus to integrate more photonic devices onto a single chip. LiNbO₃ thin films recently developed in our laboratory offer the possibility to realize highly integrated, electro-optically tunable photonic devices. In our approach, we use the crystal ion slicing and wafer bonding technique to obtain single-crystalline submicrometer-thick LiNbO₃ films with an area of > 1.5 cm² embedded in low-refractive-index dielectric materials. Using the microlithography patterning and ion etching techniques, various devices can be structured in these films. Here we present our recent results on fabrication and performance of electro-optically tunable microring resonators, which are considered as one of the main building blocks for future very large-scale integrated (VLSI) photonics.

© 2007 IEEE