Electrooptic beam deflection using the leaky mode of a planar waveguide

Electrooptic beam deflection using the leaky mode of a TiO/sub 2/ thin-film waveguide in optical contact with a LiNbO/sub 3/ crystal is discussed. Initial measurements yielded a deflection efficiency of 0.34 mrad/kV and suggest potential for more than an order of magnitude improvement. By depositing the waveguide directly onto the electrooptical crystal, a rugged miniature device that has the potential for high-speed operation and an angular deflection efficiency equal to or higher than that of currently available bulk devices can be fabricated. In addition to the strict tolerances on the coating thickness, the deposited films must have extremely low losses, a high refractive index, and be resistant to environmental effects.>