Waveguide formation in LiTaO3 and LiB3O5 by keV hydrogen ion implantation

Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) samples were implanted with HI ions at different energies from 250 to 350 keV using different doses. Lithium triborate (LiB 3O5) Samples were implanted at 350 keV H+ ions with doses from 1 x 10(16) t o 5 x 10(16) ions/cm(2) in increment of 1 X 10(16) ions/cm(2) at room tempe rature. The modes in LiTaO3 and LiB3O5 samples were measured by a model 201 0 prism coupler. Two or three modes were observed in most cases. The change of the refractive index depends on the energy, dose and annealing temperat ure. Multi-energy implantation was used to broaden the optical barrier. The re is a threshold dose of around 4 x 10(16) ions/cm(2) for LiB3O5 which is different from the case of LiTa03. The preliminary results show that the wa veguide formation in LiTaO3 and LiB3O5 crystals is possible by using keV H ion implantation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.