Integrated optical Mach-Zehnder modulator based on polycrystalline BaTiO3

Good-quality polycrystalline BaTiO3 thin films are deposited on MgO substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The deposition parameters are optimized to achieve optical-quality films with an attenuation coefficient of 4 dB/cm at the 633-nm wavelength. Thin-film electro-optic Mach-Zehnder modulators are fabricated with standard lithography and ion-beam etching. The waveguides patterned by lithography are the ridge type, and they ensure single-mode propagation in the wavelength range of 633 - 1550 nm. An electro-optic coefficient of 22 pm/V is estimated for the polycrystalline BaTiO3 films. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.