The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

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

Light-induced domain engineering in ferroelectrics: a route to sub-micron poling
Light-induced domain engineering in ferroelectrics: a route to sub-micron poling
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.
182-184
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Sones, C.L.
9de9d8ee-d394-46a5-80b7-e341c0eed0a8
Wellington, I.T.
7818f50a-3d6c-480d-846a-6e2a24340e4a
Valdivia, C.E.
d9e77b23-1e72-4302-a11c-e6af43f0e518
Mailis, S.
233e0768-3f8d-430e-8fdf-92e6f4f6a0c4
Eason, R.W.
e38684c3-d18c-41b9-a4aa-def67283b020
Sones, C.L.
9de9d8ee-d394-46a5-80b7-e341c0eed0a8
Wellington, I.T.
7818f50a-3d6c-480d-846a-6e2a24340e4a
Valdivia, C.E.
d9e77b23-1e72-4302-a11c-e6af43f0e518
Mailis, S.
233e0768-3f8d-430e-8fdf-92e6f4f6a0c4
Eason, R.W.
e38684c3-d18c-41b9-a4aa-def67283b020

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.

Record type: Book Section

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.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2006
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 379738
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/379738
PURE UUID: 7b50b433-6fe9-413a-ba75-9ae4aa39816e
ORCID for S. Mailis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8100-2670
ORCID for R.W. Eason: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9704-2204

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 30 Jul 2015 13:05
Last modified: 24 Feb 2024 02:32

Export record

Contributors

Author: C.L. Sones
Author: I.T. Wellington
Author: C.E. Valdivia
Author: S. Mailis ORCID iD
Author: R.W. Eason ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×