Silicon Light Machines Corporation

Mg Materials Corporation

Ronald O Miles

Gregory David Miller

Ludwig Galambos

Gabriel C Risk

Janos J Lazar

David Caudillo

Alexei L Alexandrovski

Joseph M McRae

Gisele L Foulon

Josef Berger

According to some embodiments, a pre-poled, single-domain body of a ferroelectric crystalline material such as lithium tantalate or lithium niobate is electrically reduced by applying a voltage across the body in a non-oxidizing environment while the body is heated to a process temperature below its Curie temperature. The voltage generates an electric field along the polar axis of the body. Electrodes may be formed on the body surface by applying an acetate-based silver paint. Exemplary methods allow achieving electrical conductivity values of 10to 10Siemens/cm.

Systems and methods for electrically reducing ferroelectric materials to increase bulk conductivity

In one embodiment, a ferroelectric material is processed by placing the material in an environment including metal vapor and heating the material to a temperature below the Curie temperature of the material. This allows the bulk conductivity of the ferroelectric material to be increased without substantially degrading its ferroelectric domain properties. In one embodiment, the ferroelectric material comprises lithium tantalate and the metal vapor comprises zinc.

Method for increasing bulk conductivity of a ferroelectric material such as lithium tantalate

Method and apparatus for increasing bulk conductivity of a ferroelectric material

An optical switch comprises a substrate, first and second optical waveguide, and first and second conducting elements. The first optical waveguide is coupled to the substrate. The first conducting element is coupled to the first optical waveguide. The second optical waveguide is coupled to the substrate. The second conducting element is coupled to the second optical waveguide. In operation, a first electrical bias applied between the first and second conducting elements causes the first optical waveguide to not optically couple to the second optical waveguide. Further in operation, a second electric bias applied between the first and second conducting elements causes the first optical waveguide to optically couple to the second optical waveguide.

Optical switch

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Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Ronald O Miles