Experimental evidence of enhanced electro-optic control on a lithium niobate photonic crystal superprism

We present experimental evidence of an electro-optic superprism photonic crystal fabricated on a lithium niobate substrate, in agreement with simulation results. In this work, rather than changing the incident wavelength or angle to achieve large light deflections, a direct modification of the band structure by the electro-optic effect causes changes in the propagation direction of the incident beam. Additionally, the chosen geometry allows significant ultrarefraction as the incident wavelength is varied giving rise to a double purpose active-passive photonic crystal light deflector that could present potential interest for optical communications. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3359421]