Terahertz wave generation and propagation in thin-film lithium niobate produced by crystal ion slicing

Terahertz phonon-polariton generation and real-space imaging with femtosecond optical pulses are demonstrated in a 10-mum-thick film of single-crystalline lithium niobate that was generated through crystal ion slicing. The film dispersion properties were characterized throughout the polariton wavelength range of 5-100 mum, revealing substantial slab waveguide behavior at the longer wavelengths. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.