Advanced analysis of domain walls in Mg doped LiNbO3 crystals with high resolution OCT

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

The structure of domain walls (DW) in ferroelectric media is of great interest as this material is used for frequency doublers and other applications. We show that the structure of the DWs can nicely be visualized by high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). While the high group refractive index of lithium niobate allows a resolution much better than 1 µm, the large dispersion can blur the image and has to be compensated. Therefore, we developed an adaptive dispersion compensation algorithm based on maximizing the intensity of the DWs. By measuring a group of DWs, the mean period of the DWs could be measured with an accuracy of less than 10 nm differentiating samples with only 30 nm distinct periods. By analyzing the peak position, amplitude and phase shift within a DW, we were able to determine steps in the DW of only 50 nm. Furthermore, the inclined course of the DWs in a fan-shaped frequency doubler could be displayed. Therefore, we conclude that OCT is able to provide valuable information about the structure of domain walls in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN).

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14871-14882
Number of pages12
JournalOptics Express
Volume25
Issue number13
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2017
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85021320750
PubMed 28789069
researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#77925
ORCID /0000-0002-7267-7016/work/142249517
ORCID /0000-0003-0554-2178/work/142249794
ORCID /0009-0008-7642-8608/work/142255301
ORCID /0000-0002-2484-4158/work/142257508
WOS 000404189800088

Keywords

Keywords

  • Optical coherence tomography, Lithium-niobate crystals, Dispersion compensation, Generation, Conduction