Tunable acoustooptic reflection filters in LiNbO3 without a Doppler shift

A proposal is presented for an acoustooptic filter in LiNbO₃ without the Doppler shift, which is normally present in acoustooptic filters and which is undesirable as an intracavity element. This tunable filter has a significantly wider tuning range than previously demonstrated electrooptic filters. A structure incorporating an interdigital acoustic transducer, polarization filter, and single-mode optical waveguide is shown. The design presented works by cascading two acoustooptic filters with an intermediate polarizer, where the Doppler shift experienced in the first filter is precisely compensated for in the second filter. Hence, the output light of the two cascaded acoustooptic filters is not shifted in frequency, thus making the device suitable for applications inside a laser cavity. The filter with intermediate polarizer can be integrated with a single-mode waveguide and requires only a single interdigital acoustic transducer. Crystal symmetry and acoustic power considerations are treated in detail