Low-Loss Lithium Tantalate Photonic Integrated Circuits

Lithium tantalate (LiTaO
3
, L T), like lithium niobate (LiNbO
3
, LN), is a traditional ferroelectric crystal with superior electro-optic and piezo-electric properties. Many studies based on LiTaO
3
bulk materials clearly show that LiTaO
3
exhibits a higher optical duration [1], a weaker birefringence effect, a wider transparency window (0.24 – 5.5 µm) [2] and a lower dielectric loss [3] compared with LN. However, there are few studies on photonic integrated LiTaO
3
thin films.