Liang Guohong, Yan Wenbo, Wang Donghui, Shi Lihong, Jiang Xuju, Shang Zujian, Zhang Fangdong, Jia Fangfang, Li Shaobei, Li Min, Zhang Lixia, Jing Jianli, Wu Meng, Zhang Yuwei, Chen Guifeng, Chen Hongjian
Opt Express. 2015 Jan 12;23(1):19-25. doi: 10.1364/OE.23.000019.
We report the photo-assisted proton exchange and chemical etching on Fe-doped LiNbO(3) crystals. Selective proton exchange and chemical etching are realized through the 455nm-laser irradiation on the crystal surface in pyrophosphoric acid. Optical microscopy and Micro-IR spectroscopy analysis show that the hydrogen incorporation is confined spatially by the laser irradiation. Moreover, under the laser irradiation, + z surface is found to be more easily etched than -z surface. This unexpected etching anisotropy is attributed to the photogalvanic effect of the crystal.
