Stable low-loss proton-exchanged LiNbO(3) waveguide devices with no electro-optic degradation

Channel waveguides and Mach-Zehnder interferometers were fabricated in LiNbO(3) by annealed proton exchange. The waveguides had a loss of 0.15 dB/cm and a fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 1.2 dB at 0.8 microm. The measured r(33) electro-optic coefficient of the interferometers was 30 x 10(-12) m/V +/-5%, which agrees well with theory, indicating that there is no degradation in the r(33) coefficient. No variation in insertion loss or switching voltage was observed over 8 months for devices stored at room temperature.