Photonic crystals in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals: Linear and nonlinear optical issues

Photonic crystals have emerged as new optical component that allow the manipulation of photons using the existence of photonic band gap (PBG) structures depending on the polarization and the wavelength of the optical wave. From the material point of view, the investigation of PBG in dielectric materials such as LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 is of great interest for optoelectronic technology since these crystals have the most important linear and nonlinear optical properties. On one hand, the use of nonlinear optical effects allows a direct control of the PBG crystal response. Therefore, reconfigurable optoelectronic components can be developed for applications in the field of optical telecommunication. On the other hand, PBG structures in these materials allow the material dispersion engineering in order to increase optical non linear interactions.