0.6% MgO:Lithium niobate crystals

Featured inquiry:
Can you provide 0.6% MgO:Lithium niobate crystals as specified in the attached drawing? Application is Terahertz generation via optical rectification of 200 fs, 1030 nm light pulses.

Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystals doped with 0.6% magnesium oxide (MgO) exhibit unique properties that make them valuable for various applications, especially in the field of optics and photonics. Some key applications of 0.6% MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals include:

1. Nonlinear Optics: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals are widely used in nonlinear optical devices and applications. They exhibit strong nonlinear optical properties, such as second harmonic generation (SHG), sum and difference frequency generation, and optical parametric oscillation. These properties are essential for frequency conversion, wavelength conversion, and generation of new frequencies in laser systems.

2. Optical Modulators: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals are utilized in optical modulators for manipulating the amplitude, phase, or polarization of optical signals. They serve as the active medium in electro-optic modulators, where an applied electrical field induces changes in the refractive index of the crystal, allowing modulation of the transmitted light.

3. Optical Waveguides: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals can be engineered to form optical waveguides, either by proton exchange or titanium indiffusion methods. These waveguides are used in integrated optics for guiding and manipulating light signals within photonic circuits, enabling compact and efficient optical devices such as switches, routers, and sensors.

4. Acousto-Optic Devices: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals are employed in acousto-optic devices for modulating and deflecting optical signals using acoustic waves. They are used in applications such as optical signal processing, laser beam steering, and frequency shifting in laser spectroscopy.

5. Optical Communications: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals find applications in optical communications systems, including fiber-optic networks and telecommunications. They are used in devices such as optical switches, modulators, and frequency converters to manipulate and process optical signals for data transmission and processing.

6. Photonic Integrated Circuits: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals are integral components in photonic integrated circuits (PICs), where they enable the integration of various optical functions on a single chip. They are used in PICs for applications such as quantum information processing, coherent communications, and optical sensing.

7. Quantum Optics: MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals are increasingly used in quantum optics experiments and applications. They serve as platforms for generating entangled photon pairs through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) and for implementing quantum information processing tasks such as quantum cryptography and quantum computing.

Overall, 0.6% MgO-doped lithium niobate crystals play a crucial role in numerous optical and photonic applications, offering versatile functionality and performance in diverse fields of research and technology.

Keywords: 0.6% MgO:Lithium niobate crystals, nonlinear optics, optical modulators, optical waveguides, acousto-optic devices, optical communications, photonic integrated circuits, quantum optics.

Featured publication
Efficient and Continuous Carrier-Envelope Phase Control for Terahertz Lightwave-Driven Scanning Probe Microscopy
Jonas Allerbeck Joel Kuttruff Laric Bobzien Bruno Schuler

The fundamental understanding of quantum dynamics in advanced materials requires precise characterization at the limit of spatiotemporal resolution. Ultrafast scanning tunneling microscopy is a powerful tool combining the benefits of picosecond time resolution provided by single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses and atomic spatial resolution of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). For the selective excitation of localized electronic states, the transient field profile must be tailored to the energetic structure of the system. Here, we present an advanced THz-STM setup combining multi-MHz repetition rates, strong THz near fields, and continuous carrier-envelope phase (CEP) control of the transient waveform. In particular, we employ frustrated total internal reflection as an efficient and cost-effective method for precise CEP control of single-cycle THz pulses with 60% field transmissivity, high pointing stability, and continuous phase shifting of up to 0.75 π in the far and near field.

[delmarphotonics]

The fundamental understanding of quantum dynamics in advanced materials requires precise characterization at the limit of spatiotemporal resolution. Ultrafast scanning tunneling microscopy is a powerful tool combining the benefits of picosecond time resolution provided by single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses and atomic spatial resolution of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). For the selective excitation of localized electronic states, the transient field profile must be tailored to the energetic structure of the system. Here, we present an advanced THz-STM setup combining multi-MHz repetition rates, strong THz near fields, and continuous carrier-envelope phase (CEP) control of the transient waveform. In particular, we employ frustrated total internal reflection as an efficient and cost-effective method for precise CEP control of single-cycle THz pulses with >60% field transmissivity, high pointing stability, and continuous phase shifting of up to 0.75 π in the far and near field. Efficient THz generation and dispersion management enable peak THz voltages at the tip–sample junction exceeding 20 V at 1 MHz and 1 V at 41 MHz. The system comprises two distinct THz generation arms, which facilitate individual pulse shaping and amplitude modulation. This unique feature enables the flexible implementation of various THz pump–probe schemes, thereby facilitating the study of electronic and excitonic excited-state propagation in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials systems. Scalability of the repetition rate up to 41 MHz, combined with a state-of-the-art low-temperature STM, paves the way toward the investigation of dynamical processes in atomic quantum systems at their native length and time scales.