Lithium Niobate - Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN)

Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN)

Periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) is a domain-engineered lithium niobate crystal, used mainly for achieving quasi-phase-matching in nonlinear optics. The ferroelectric domains point alternatively to the +c and the -c direction, with a period of typically between 5 and 35 µm. The shorter periods of this range are used for second harmonic generation, while the longer ones for optical parametric oscillation. Periodic poling can be achieved by electrical poling with periodically structured electrode. Controlled heating of the crystal can be used to fine-tune phase matching in the medium due to a slight variation of the dispersion with temperature.

Periodic poling uses the largest value of lithium niobate's nonlinear tensor, d₃₃= 27 pm/V. Quasi-phase matching gives maximum efficiencies that are 2/π (64%) of the full d₃₃, about 17 pm/V

Other materials used for periodic poling are wide band gap inorganic crystals like KTP (resulting in periodically poled KTP, PPKTP), lithium tantalate, and some organic materials.

The periodic poling technique can also be used to form surface nanostructures.

However, due to its low photorefractive damage threshold, PPLN only finds limited applications: at very low power levels. MgO doped lithium niobate is fabricated by periodically poled method. Periodically poled MgO doped lithium niobate (PPMgOLN) therefore expands the application to medium power level.