OPTICAL WAVEGUIDING DEVICES USING MONOCRYSTALLINE MATERIALS OF THE SILLENITE FAMILY OF BISMUTH OXIDES

摘要

Monocrystalline materials of the sillenite family of bismuth oxides are used in the fabrication of optical thin-film devices. The sillenite materials are cubic in crystalline structure, transparent in the visible and near-infrared portions of the spectrum, electro-optic, piezoelectric, optically active, have useful acoustic surface wave coefficients and can be grown into high quality optical thin films by heteroepitaxial growth techniques. This wide range of properties in the light-guiding monocrystalline film should prove useful in the fabrication of a variety of thin-film devices suitable for integrated optical circuit arrangements. One such device is disclosed employing a thin light-guiding sillenite film upon which is deposited a pair of interdigital electrodes. The device serves as a thin-film electro-optical switch and modulator for a guided light beam.