Characterization of microstructures in lithium niobate crystals by digital holography

Ferroelectric domain micro structuring of bulk Lithium Niobate is very useful for optoelectronic applications such as non-linear optics employing Quasi-Phase-Matching for efficient harmonic and parametric conversion processes or for the fabrication route for production of novel MEMS devices, like micro-cantilever beams. Quasi-Phase-Matching based applications require periodically reversed ferroelectric structures with periods of the order of micrometers. Precise control of the surface quality and of the domain structure of the micro structured materials is required such as in the case of optical MEMS applications. We here report on the application of Digital Holography as metrological tool for the inspection and characterization of the domain structures in bulk Lithium Niobate samples. This technique allows reconstructing both the intensity and the phase of the microstructures under test and it allows determining quantitatively the phase distribution. Several examples of application of the Digital Holography technique for the numerical reconstruction of the micro-topography of domain structure are presented and discussed.