Abstract

Time-integrating correlation using bulk-wave isotropic acoustooptic (AO) Bragg diffraction has become a subject of great interest because of its applications in radar signal processing and communications.⁽¹⁾ Some encouraging results with the experiments which utilize guided-wave isotropic Bragg diffraction was reported earlier.⁽²⁾ Subsequently, hybrid and monolithic structures for integrated optic implementations were suggested.^(3,4) In a conventional configuration that utilizes either bulk-wave or guide-wave isotropic Bragg diffraction, a pair of imaging lenses and a spatial filter are used to separate the diffracted light beam from the undiffracted ligth beam. In this paper we report on a new and novel hybrid structure which utilizes guided-wave anisotropic Bragg diffraction involving te0 and tm0 modes in a Y-cut LiNbO₃ waveguide. This new structure can conveniently incorporate a thin-film polarizer to separate the diffracted light from the undiffracted light prior to detection and, therefore, eliminates the need of imaging lenses and spatial filter. As a result, the acoustooptic time-integrating correlator (AOTIC) is not only much smaller and capable of providing superior performance figures, but also easier to be implemented in integrated optic format.

© 1982 Optical Society of America