Reducing photorefractive effect in periodically poled ZnO- and MgO-doped LiNbO3 wavelength converters

The photorefractive effect in annealed proton-exchanged waveguides in periodically poled nondoped, MgO- and ZnO-doped LiNbO3 was evaluated by monitoring the quasiphase matching (QPM) wavelength shift induced by a 0.784-μm-irradiating light. The QPM wavelength shift was reduced at room temperature by a factor of 3–6 in ZnO- and MgO-doped samples compared with the nondoped samples within a 104–105-W/cm2-irradiation intensity range. The doped samples exhibited no significant wavelength shifts when the temperature was raised to slightly above room temperature (50–60 °C).