Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are a breakthrough technology that combines the advantages of photonics with the efficiency of integrated circuit technology. These circuits enable the manipulation of light on a chip, leading to a wide range of applications in telecommunications, sensing, computing, and many other fields.

PICs consist of various optical components. These include light sources, modulators, detectors, and waveguides. Those components work together to generate, control, and receive light signals. Among the materials used for PICs, Lithium Niobate is particularly promising for optical waveguides and modulators. Its strong Pockels effect, with an electro-optic coefficient of approximately 30 pm/V, enables efficient modulation of light by applying an electric field.

This application note demonstrates ion beam etching for pattern transfer in fabricating lithium niobate (LiNbO3, abbr. LN) waveguides.