Abstract

KTiOPO₄ (KTP) is a relatively new material that has been shown to have superior properties for several nonlinear optical applications(1). It’s high nonlinear optical d-coefficients, high optical damage threshold, and thermally stable phase matching properties make it useful for second harmonic generation and, its large linear electrooptic r-coefficients and low dielectric constants make it attractive for various electrooptical applications(2). KTP also has an electrooptic waveguide modulator figure-of-merit nearly double that for any other inorganic material and hence should be useful for active integrated optical devices provided optical waveguides can be fabricated. This paper summarizes recent experiments aimed at fabricating optical waveguides in KTP, describes their properties and discusses possible applications.

© 1987 Optical Society of America