Pulsed Laser Deposition of Optical Waveguiding LiNbO₃ Films on SiO₂ Substrate

The optical waveguiding lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) films have been prepared on (001)-oriented SiO₂ substrates by pulsed lager deposition technique. The x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the as-grown films, and revealed that highly (012)-textured LiNbO₃ films with smooth surface were achieved. The optical waveguiding properties of these films were demonstrated by m-line measurements of transverse-magnetic and transverse-electric multimodes.