LINBO3 PLATFORMS FOR OPTICAL-FIBER ALIGNMENT

A technique for incorporating a groove into a LiNbO3 substrate is desc ribed. Both V grooves for fiber alignment and vertical grooves for wav eguide end-face formation can be fabricated with this technique. The p roposed fabrication method is based on an excimer-laser ablation and a high-speed rotation saw cut for LiNbO3. The former process provides a variety of cross-sectional groove shapes by changing the ablation mas k shape of LiNbO3, and the latter provides an optical-quality cutting face. The proposed fabrication method is simple and provides low-cost optical platforms not only for LiNbO3 but also for glasses, polymers, and semiconductors. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.