Ionization-induced refractive index and polarization effects in LiNbO/sub 3/:Ti directional coupler waveguides

Exposure of an LiNbO/sub 3/:Ti directional coupler to pulsed 16-MeV electrons was observed to nonequivalently affect the transverse electric-transverse magnetic (TE-TM) polarized transmission of a continuous wave 1300-nm optical signal through the channel waveguides. Two distinct ionization-induced attenuation responses were observed to depend on the magnitude of the optical power in the guides and on the polarization states. An hypothesis for these phenomena is advanced based on the presence of localized space charge fields arising from ionization-induced transient color centers, free carriers within or near the light guiding regions, and polarization conversion initiated through decreased mode confinement and scattering. Transient space charge fields causing localized changes to the refractive indexes in and near the guiding regions are believed to have caused both the loss of guiding and the onset of photorefractive-like processes.>