Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) Substrates
Optical-grade CMP lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) wafers engineered for <strong>EO modulators</strong>, SAW/BAW filters, and PPLN/TFLN waveguide fabrication. Available in 3″–6″ diameters with tailored orientations and thickness options. Key electro-optic performance: <strong>r₃₃ = 30.8 pm/V</strong>.
Product Overview
GINECHIP offers congruent (CLN), stoichiometric (SLN) and MgO-doped (5mol%) Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃) substrates in 3″ (76.2mm), 4″ (100mm), and 6″ (150mm). Choose X/Y/Z cuts with 128° Y-X and 64° Y-X orientations to fit your process and device design; single-domain poled substrates are also available.
Surface finishing options include SSP, DSP, and Optical-grade CMP with Ra < 0.5nm. Thicknesses are available in 300μm / 500μm / 1000μm, packaged to support high-repeatability manufacturing in Class 100 clean conditions.
PPLN-ready single-domain poled substrates with periodic poling available—plus a blackened option for EO modulators.
Material Grades & Photorefractive Performance
CLN, SLN, and MgO-doped (5mol%) LiNbO₃ differ in Li/Nb stoichiometry and defect/charge behavior stemming from the Czochralski growth process, which directly impacts photorefractive susceptibility and long-term stability. Choose the grade that best matches your optical power level and wavelength range.
Photorefractive damage threshold: standard CLN can distort at ~kW/cm² under visible-light exposure. MgO doping raises the threshold to > MW/cm², enabling high-power visible and near-IR operation (e.g., frequency-doubled green lasers and OPOs).
Key Physical Properties
Electro-optic coefficients: r₃₃ = 30.8 pm/V and r₁₃ = 8.6 pm/V. Piezoelectric coupling: k² = 5.5% at 128° Y-X for SAW.
Refractive indices: nₒ = 2.286 and nₑ = 2.203 @ 633nm. Dielectric constants: ε₃₃ = 28, ε₁₁ = 84. Curie temperature: 1,142°C (congruent) / 1,200°C (stoichiometric).
Periodic Poling for PPLN Applications
Periodic electric-field poling forms alternating micron-scale ferroelectric domain gratings, enabling quasi-phase matching (QPM) for efficient nonlinear conversion. PPLN substrates support SHG, SFG/DFG, OPO, and SPDC across visible to mid-IR wavelengths (350nm–5,500nm). Single-domain poled structures and periodic poling availability are offered to meet your target conversion performance.
Photorefractive damage management: standard CLN handles moderate optical powers, while MgO-doped (5mol%) grades raise the damage threshold beyond > MW/cm² — the right choice for high-power visible and near-IR SHG where photorefractive distortion must be avoided. We help you select the grade matched to your power level.
Customization & Ordering Options
Customization includes a blackened (chemically reduced) option for improved charge dissipation in EO modulators. Choose the required grades (CLN/SLN/MgO-doped 5mol%), crystal cuts/orientations (e.g., 128° Y-X, 64° Y-X and X/Y/Z cuts), and substrate thickness (300/500/1000μm) and diameter (3″ (76.2mm), 4″ (100mm), 6″ (150mm)) to match your device design.
Quality & delivery are supported by comprehensive verification of each lot: XRC FWHM, optical spectrophotometry, prism-coupling refractometry (nₒ/nₑ ±0.001), SHG mapping, AFM, domain etching, Curie temperature, and EO coefficient measurement (including r₃₃). Packaging is vacuum-sealed in Class 100 conditions to help protect surface quality through delivery.
LiNbO₃ vs LiTaO₃: Key Differences
Choosing between LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ depends on your target performance. <strong>LiNbO₃</strong> is ideal for electro-optics, nonlinear frequency conversion, and high-coupling SAW. <strong>LiTaO₃</strong> is preferred for temperature-stable 5G SAW filters and for pyroelectric sensing. Both LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ substrates are available from GINECHIP.
Lithium Niobate (LiNbO₃)
LiNbO₃ stands out with the highest electro-optic coefficient r₃₃ = 30.8 pm/V, making it ideal for modulators. Its strong nonlinearity enables efficient PPLN frequency conversion, while high SAW coupling k² = 5.5% at 128° Y-X supports high-performance SAW devices. Best choice for electro-optics, nonlinear optics, and SAW.
Lithium Tantalate (LiTaO₃)
LiTaO₃ excels with temperature-stable 42° Y-X cut for 5G SAW filters, where TCF ~ -35 ppm/°C helps maintain performance over temperature. It also provides strong pyroelectric response (2.3 × 10⁻⁸ C/cm²·K) for IR sensing. Best for temperature-critical SAW and pyroelectric sensors.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Specification / Values |
|---|---|
| Material | Congruent LiNbO₃ (CLN), Stoichiometric LiNbO₃ (SLN), MgO-doped (5mol%) |
| Diameter | 3″ (76.2mm), 4″ (100mm), 6″ (150mm) |
| Crystal Orientation | X-cut, Y-cut, Z-cut, 128° Y-X, 64° Y-X |
| Thickness | 300μm, 500μm, 1000μm standard |
| Surface Polish | SSP, DSP, Optical-grade CMP, Ra < 0.5nm |
| Electro-Optic Coefficient | r₃₃ = 30.8 pm/V, r₁₃ = 8.6 pm/V |
| Piezoelectric Coupling | k² = 5.5% (128° Y-X for SAW) |
| Refractive Index | nₒ = 2.286, nₑ = 2.203 @ 633nm |
| Curie Temperature | 1,142°C (congruent), 1,200°C (stoichiometric) |
| Dielectric Constant | ε₃₃ = 28, ε₁₁ = 84 |
| Domain Structure | Single-domain poled, periodic poling available |
| Blackened Option | Chemical reduction for charge dissipation in EO modulators |
| Optical Transmission | 350nm–5,500nm |
| Packaging | Conductive or standard, vacuum-sealed, Class 100 |
Applications
Electro-Optic Modulators
Lithium niobate EO modulators are the backbone of global fiber-optic telecommunications networks. Utilizing the linear electro-optic (Pockels) effect via the r₃₃ coefficient (30.8 pm/V), LiNbO₃ Mach-Zehnder interferometers encode 100+ Gbps data streams onto laser carriers with bandwidth exceeding 40 GHz. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platforms on insulator are pushing modulation bandwidths beyond 100 GHz for next-generation data center interconnects.
SAW & BAW Filters
128° Y-X cut LiNbO₃ provides the high electromechanical coupling coefficient (k² = 5.5%) and moderate temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) required for surface acoustic wave filters in 4G/5G RF front-end modules. LiNbO₃ SAW filters handle frequency bands from 700 MHz to 2.7 GHz with sharp roll-off and low insertion loss, enabling simultaneous multi-band operation in modern smartphones.
Periodically Poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN)
Periodic electric-field poling inverts the ferroelectric domain orientation in alternating micron-scale gratings, creating a quasi-phase-matched (QPM) structure for efficient nonlinear frequency conversion. PPLN enables second-harmonic generation (SHG), sum/difference frequency generation (SFG/DFG), optical parametric oscillation (OPO), and spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) across the visible to mid-IR spectrum (350nm–5,500nm).
Quantum Photonics
LiNbO₃ is an emerging platform for integrated quantum photonics. Periodically poled waveguides generate entangled photon pairs via SPDC with high brightness and spectral purity. The electro-optic effect enables high-speed (GHz) switching and reconfiguration of quantum circuits — essential for quantum key distribution (QKD), boson sampling, and linear optical quantum computing architectures.
Integrated Photonics (TFLN)
Thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) — formed by ion-slicing (smart-cut) single-crystal LiNbO₃ onto a SiO₂/Si substrate — enables sub-micron optical waveguides with very high index contrast (Δn ≈ 0.7). TFLN platforms deliver EO modulation bandwidths exceeding 100 GHz, χ² nonlinear conversion efficiencies orders of magnitude higher than bulk, and full photonic circuit integration on a chip-scale footprint.
Nonlinear Optics Research
LiNbO₃'s exceptionally high second-order nonlinear susceptibility (d₃₃ ≈ 27 pm/V), wide transparency window, and availability in large optical-grade single crystals make it the preferred medium for university and industrial R&D in nonlinear optics, ultrafast optics, terahertz generation via optical rectification, and photorefractive holography.
Metrology & Quality Control
Every lot is verified with X-ray rocking curve (FWHM < 30 arcsec), optical spectrophotometry (transmission 350nm–5,500nm, > 65%), prism-coupling refractometry (± 0.001), SHG mapping, AFM surface roughness (Ra < 0.5nm), domain etching inspection, Curie temperature measurement, and electro-optic coefficient verification (r₃₃ > 28 pm/V). This ensures consistent coating-substrate performance for EO, nonlinear optics, and SAW applications.
Get Started Today
Talk to GINECHIP to source LiNbO₃ substrates matched to your EO, SAW, or nonlinear optical requirements, with custom cuts, doping and poling. We support your specs from material selection through verified metrology results.