Open AccessNonlinear mode switching in lithium niobate nanowaveguides to control light directionality
Author(s) -
Marc Reig Escalé,
Anton Sergeyev,
Reinhard Geiß,
Rachel Grange
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.25.003013
Subject(s) - directionality , lithium niobate , optics , slow light , physics , second harmonic generation , structured light , wavelength , nonlinear optics , laser , materials science , optoelectronics , photonic crystal , genetics , biology
The ability of nanowaveguides to confine and guide light has been applied for developing optical applications such as nanolasers, optical switching and localized imaging. These and others applications can be further complemented by the optical control of the guided modes within the nanowaveguide, which in turn dictates the light emission pattern. It has been shown that the light directionality can be shaped by varying the nanowire cross-sections. Here, we demonstrate that the directionality of the light can be modified using a single nanowaveguide with a nonlinear phenomenon such as second-harmonic generation. In individual lithium niobate nanowaveguides, we use second-harmonic modal phase-matching and we apply it to switch the guided modes within its sub-micron cross-section. In doing so, we can vary the light directionality of the generated light from straight (0° with respect to the propagation direction) to large spread angles (almost 54°). Further, we characterize the directionality of the guided light by means of optical Fourier transformation and show that the directionality of the guided light changes for different wavelengths.