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Customized LiNbO₃ Substrates — Applications & Specifications
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) is a key platform for modern photonics, RF/SAW, and sensing. Its blend of optical, electrical, and mechanical properties enables devices from high-speed modulators to quantum photonic circuits—applications that would be difficult or impossible with many other materials.
Core Properties
LiNbO₃ is transparent from ~350–5200 nm with a high refractive index (> 2.3) and strong birefringence. Its large electro-optic coefficients (r33 ≈ 30 pm/V) enable ultrafast modulation, while significant nonlinear coefficients support frequency conversion (e.g., SHG). It is also ferroelectric with a high Curie temperature (~1140 °C).
Orientation Matters
Because LiNbO₃ is anisotropic, cut selection maps directly to function: Z-cut commonly serves EO modulators; Y-cut and angle cuts like 128° Y are favored for SAW; X-cut supports specific optical/acousto-optic uses. Angle accuracy is typically ±0.5°, with tighter options on request.
Dimensions & Finishing
Research and production formats span ~1″–4″+ wafers and custom rectangular/square dies with controlled thickness (down to ±5–10 µm) and bow/warp. Single-side (SSP) and double-side (DSP) optical polishes are available, including epi-ready finishes with sub-nanometer roughness for critical photonics work.
Advanced Platforms & Doping
Thin-film Lithium Niobate on Insulator (LNOI) places a ~300–700 nm LiNbO₃ layer on SiO₂/handle, enabling high-index-contrast waveguides and compact PICs. Periodically Poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) offers quasi-phase matching for efficient nonlinear conversion (typical periods 5–30 µm). MgO/ZnO/Fe doping tunes performance and can dramatically raise optical-damage thresholds.
Applications Snapshot
Customized LiNbO₃ underpins telecommunications (EO modulators, waveguides), RF/acoustic systems (SAW filters/resonators), and sensing. Emerging areas include quantum information, integrated photonics, and biomedical platforms (e.g., lab-on-a-chip, label-free biosensors, acoustic tweezers).
Manufacturing & Quality Assurance
Production includes Czochralski growth, precision slicing/grinding, and optical polishing. QA covers XRD for orientation, interferometry for flatness, AFM/profilometry for roughness, and optical inspection—delivering traceable reports per wafer/batch.
From Spec to Substrate
A practical ordering flow defines orientation (standard or custom angle), dimensions and thickness, surface finish (SSP/DSP/roughness), tolerances, and any special requirements (coatings, patterning, poling). Quotation → confirmation → fabrication proceeds with ongoing communication and packaging for optical-grade materials.
Built for Research
For R&D, small-quantity orders and sample kits support comparative studies across cuts and finishes, with rapid delivery and technical consultation to help map application goals to material parameters and accelerate iteration.
As integrated photonics grows alongside electronics, the demand for precisely specified LiNbO₃ continues to rise—especially with LNOI bridging high performance and chip-scale integration for next-generation devices.
Why LiNbO₃ Remains Foundational
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) substrates bridge the gap between optical, electronic, and acoustic domains. Their combination of transparency, strong electro-optic response, and piezoelectric coupling makes them indispensable for devices that modulate, convert, or sense signals across light and sound.
As industries move toward integrated photonics, LiNbO₃’s ability to merge photonic and electronic functions on one substrate supports faster, energy-efficient systems—from telecom modulators to next-generation sensors.
Material Versatility
The same LiNbO₃ wafer can serve radically different purposes based on its crystallographic orientation. Z-cut substrates optimize electro-optic modulation, Y128°-cut substrates excel in surface acoustic wave (SAW) applications, and doped variants extend optical-damage thresholds for high-power systems. This flexibility enables tailored performance across research and manufacturing.
Advanced thin-film LNOI (Lithium Niobate on Insulator) adds another layer of capability—allowing chip-scale photonics with the same high optical quality that defines bulk LiNbO₃ wafers.
Applications Driving Demand
Customized LiNbO₃ substrates underpin a wide spectrum of technologies: telecommunications, quantum optics, biomedical sensing, and integrated photonic circuits. Researchers use them to fabricate modulators, frequency converters, biosensors, and terahertz devices—each benefiting from LiNbO₃’s stable, controllable response to electric and optical stimuli.
In biomedical fields, LiNbO₃ enables label-free biosensors, lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, and even acoustic tweezers for cell manipulation—all leveraging the material’s acoustic precision and biocompatibility.
Precision Through Customization
Every specification—orientation, polish, dopant level, or thickness—directly influences how a device performs. Precision control ensures phase-matched nonlinear optics, stable SAW propagation, and high-efficiency modulation. Customization isn’t aesthetic—it’s functional engineering that defines how your system interacts with light, sound, and electricity.
Research Impact
As photonic integration grows alongside electronics, researchers rely on UniversityWafer’s customized LiNbO₃ wafers to prototype next-generation components. From small-scale optical test structures to production-grade devices, these substrates provide reproducibility, orientation accuracy, and quality assurance that accelerate innovation across disciplines.
Key Facts — LiNbO₃
- Combines electro-optic, nonlinear, piezoelectric & ferroelectric properties.
- Wide transparency (~350–5200 nm), high index (n ≳ 2.2–2.3), low loss optics.
- High r33 (~30 pm/V) enables >100 GHz optical modulators.
- Ferroelectric with high Curie temperature (~1140 °C).
Cuts & Orientations
- X-cut / Y-cut / Z-cut for EO, SAW, and nonlinear optics respectively.
- Angle cuts: 36°Y-X, 64°Y-X, 128°Y-X for RF/SAW performance & stability.
- Custom orientations available; X-ray verified (±0.1° typical).
Size & Thickness
- Diameters: 1″–4″+ (research samples to production wafers).
- Thickness: ~0.1 mm – 1.0 mm+ (±10 µm standard; ±5 µm available).
- Bow/warp control & custom shapes (rectangles/squares) on request.
Surface Quality
- SSP or DSP optical polish; ultra-smooth < 0.5 nm Ra available.
- Premium options: scratch-dig ≤ 20-10, flatness ≤ λ/10 @ 633 nm.
- Patterned/activated surfaces for bonding & alignment features.
Doping & Material Mods
- MgO (≈5–7 mol%) raises optical-damage threshold for high-power NLO.
- Fe for photorefractive storage/holography; Zn for alt. optical/electrical tuning.
- Rare-earth options for active media; Li/Nb ratio tuning available.
Thin-Film LNOI
- Enables compact, low-power PICs, tight confinement, small bend radii.
- Ideal for modulators, frequency converters, and integrated quantum optics.
Applications (Where It Fits)
- Telecom & Photonics: modulators, waveguides, switches, frequency conversion.
- RF & Acoustic: SAW filters, delay lines, resonators (high K² cuts for wide bandwidth).
- Sensing & Measurement: bio/chemical, pressure/temperature, structural health.
- Quantum/Integrated: SPDC sources, QKD, PICs, frequency combs, neuromorphic photonics.
Manufacturing & QA
- Czochralski growth; precision slicing, grinding, and optical polishing.
- QA: XRD orientation (±0.1°), interferometry (flatness), AFM/profilometry (roughness), optical inspection.
- Traceable reports available per wafer/batch.