Chromium diffusion in lithium niobate for active optical waveguides

A method to fabricate chromium-doped lithium niobate substrates in which the active ions are introduced by thermal diffusion from a film is reported. Chromium concentration depth profiles have been obtained by secondary-ion-mass spectrometry and the relevant diffusion parameters have been derived. Fluorescence spectrum and upper laser level lifetime of chromium diffused proton-exchanged and chromium/titanium-diffused lithium niobate waveguides have been measured. A simple model has been used to estimate the performance of such structures as waveguide optical amplifiers and lasers.