The Study of Proton Exchange in Lithium Tantalate Crystals

A study is made of the proton exchanged waveguiding layers in lithium tantalate crystals. Examined are the regularities of physical chemical processes occurring in lithium tantalate of different orientation during the proton exchange. They are compared with similar regularities for lithium niobate. It is shown that proton exchange is accompanied by accumulation of crystal lattice deformations. Also studied are the optical properties of the waveguides.