Optical waveguide device and second harmonic generator using the same

• US 5,459,807 A
• Filed: 02/08/1994
• Issued: 10/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Doumuki, Tohru, Saitoh, Masaki, Tamada, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Application Number:
  US08/193,523
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 385/14, 385/122, 385/129, 385/130, 385/131, 385/132, 385/28, 359/326, 359/328, 359/329, 359/330, 359/332
• US Class Current: 385/129
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12054 Tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5)
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12097 Ridge, rib or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/136 by etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/377 in an optical waveguide structure

Abstract

An optical waveguide device for use as a second harmonic generator includes a nonlinear optical crystalline substrate of KTiOPO₄ and an optical waveguide core of a dielectric material, such as Ta₂ O₅, disposed on the nonlinear optical crystalline substrate. The optical waveguide converts a fundamental wave having a wavelength λ which is guided through the optical waveguide into a second harmonic wave having a wavelength λ/2, the second harmonic wave having the same polarization as the fundamental wave which is guided through the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide has a thickness of 190 nm or greater. The optical waveguide device also has a dielectric loaded strip disposed on the optical waveguide core. The dielectric loaded strip may be made of SiO₂ or SiO₂ doped with Ta₂ O₅. Alternatively, the optical waveguide may be a ridge-type optical waveguide, and the optical waveguide device may also has a cladding layer disposed on the nonlinear optical crystalline substrate and the optical waveguide core.

Claims

1. An optical waveguide device comprising:

a substrate made of an optical material; and

an optical waveguide core disposed on said substrate, wherein a refractive index of said optical material forming said optical waveguide core is larger than a refractive index of said substrate by 0.1 or greater, a thickness or width of said optical waveguide core is smaller than a wavelength of guided light in the air, and a wavelength of light of a high-order mode is emitted with an intensity distribution of a single peak response.

2. An optical waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said substrate and said optical waveguide core is made of a nonlinear optical crystalline substrate, and said optical waveguide of a dielectric material disposed on said nonlinear optical crystalline substrate converts a fundamental wave having a wavelength λ

which is guided through the optical waveguide into a second harmonic wave having a wavelength λ

/2, said second harmonic wave having the same polarization as the fundamental wave which is guided in the optical waveguide.

3. An optical waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said nonlinear optical crystalline substrate is made of KTiOPO₄.

4. An optical waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said dielectric material is comprised of Ta₂ O₅.

5. An optical waveguide device according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric loaded strip disposed on said optical waveguide core.

6. An optical waveguide device according to claim 5, wherein said dielectric loaded strip is made of SiO₂.

7. An optical waveguide device according to claim 5, wherein said dielectric loaded strip is made of SiO₂ doped with Ta₂ O₅.

8. An optical waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said optical waveguide comprises a ridge-type optical waveguide and said optical waveguide core is fabricated in a linear fashion.

9. An optical waveguide device according to claim 8, further comprising a cladding layer disposed on said nonlinear optical crystalline substrate and said ridge-type optical waveguide core and said cladding layer is made of SiO₂.

10. An optical waveguide device according to claim 8, further comprising a cladding layer disposed on said nonlinear optical crystalline substrate and said ridge-type optical waveguide core and said cladding layer is made of SiO₂ doped with Ta₂ O₅.