Integrated optics wave front measurement sensor

• Published in: Applied physics letters 1983-04, Vol.42 (8), p.647-649
• Main Authors: Rediker, R. H., Lind, T. A., Leonberger, F. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.94052

First results are presented demonstrating the feasibility of using an integrated optics array of Mach–Zehnder dielectric-waveguide interferometers to measure the phase and amplitude across an optical wave front. The interferometers are formed from single-mode waveguides produced by Ti diffusion into LiNbO3. The spacing between the arms of the interferometer is 20 μm. The phase difference φ between the optical waves incident on the two interferometers arms is measured and compared with theory. The excellent and reproducible agreement between experiment and theory over a number of interferometers suggests that the accuracy of the wave front measurement sensor should be attractively high, limited only by signal statistics and noise considerations. As example, a sensor design is given for which the rms deviation (1σ) in the value of φ is less than 4.5° (the rms deviation in the optical path difference is less than λ/80).