Enhanced Terahertz Phonon Polariton in Lithium Niobate Chip

Terahertz (THz) phonon polaritons, fundamental quasi-particles that couple lattice vibrations with electromagnetic fields at THz frequencies, are found in a variety of materials that offer the potential for a wide range of THz optoelectronic devices and on-chip integrated systems. However, these compact devices and on-chip systems are hampered by the absence of on-chip powerful THz phonon polariton sources. In this study, the efficient generation and amplification of THz phonon polaritons are proposed and directly visualized on a lithium niobate (LN) chip via a tilted pulsefront phase matching technique. By combining lateral pumping and phase matching schemes, two orders of magnitude are successfully attained in the interaction distance between the pump light and the LN chip, accompanied by a substantial amplification of generated THz phonon polariton. The results of this study may lead to abundant potential applications in chip scale THz photonic devices and systems based on LN materials and its integrated heterostructures. An on-chip method to enhance terahertz phonon-polariton generation is proposed in this study. Through lateral pumping and tilted pulsefront phase matching, the interaction distance is extended between the pulse laser and the crystal by two orders of magnitude. Utilizing ultrafast spatial-temporal imaging, the interaction process is visually captured, marking the first observation of terahertz generation via tilted pulsefront technique.image