Light-induced domain engineering in ferroelectrics: a route to sub-micron poling

Sones, C.L., Wellington, I.T., Valdivia, C.E., Mailis, S. and Eason, R.W. (2006) Light-induced domain engineering in ferroelectrics: a route to sub-micron poling. In, Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory: Annual Report 2005/2006. Didcot. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, pp. 182-184.

Abstract

While several techniques to achieve domain inversion in ferroelectric materials such as lithium niobate and lithium tantalate have been successfully demonstrated over the past years, even the 'best' established technique of electric field-induced domain inversion (E-field poling) fails when domain inversion at periodicities of a few microns and below are desired. In order to overcome the limitations associated with E-field poling, we have been investigating the feasibility of a relatively simple single-step technique, which exploits the interaction of intense laser light with ferroelectric materials to engineer their domains at micron and sub-micron scale-lengths. Some light-assisted poling experiments, which take advantage of the ultraviolet light induced transient change in the coercive field of the illuminated ferroelectric material to transfer a patterned light distribution into an equivalent domain structure in bulk crystals have already been reported for lithium niobate [1,2] and lithium tantalate [3,4] crystals.

We have earlier reported a direct all optical poling (AOP) technique that employs pulsed ultraviolet (UV) laser light to induce surface domain inversion on the +[5] and -[6] z-faces of lithium niobate in a single step, We have been trying to understand the physical principles involved in light-matter interaction with an aim of controlling the shape, size and depth of the randomly orientated light-induced domains with an end goal of tailoring periodic structures in lithium niobate. This report presents the results of our attempts to achieve a degree of control over the nucleation and growth of the domains, via an imposed incident light pattern produced using a phase-mask. It is shown that it is possible to align the surface domains along the maxima of the spatially modulated UV laser light pattern.

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Contributors

Author: S. Mailis

Author: R.W. Eason

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