Fast writing of soliton waveguides in lithium niobate using low-intensity blue light

We experimentally demonstrate the writing of soliton waveguides in lithium niobate with blue violet light, at λ = 405 nm. This wavelength, obtained from a low-cost laser diode, allows very fast writing of soliton waveguides when comparing with the writing process using green light (532 nm). For the same writing time, there is a decrease of ~4 orders of magnitude of the light intensity necessary for writing soliton waveguides in blue. The writing process is investigated and characterized by tuning parameters, such as beam intensity, external field and beam polarization. The IR guiding capability of these soliton waveguides is tested by guiding femtosecond laser pulses at λ = 1,550 nm.