This book deals with the latest achievements in the field of ferroelectric domain engineering and characterization at micron- and nano-scale dimensions and periods. The book collects the results obtained in the last years by world scientific leaders in the field, thus providing a valid and unique overview of the state-of-the-art and also a view to future applications of those engineered materials in the field of photonics.

Auteur

Pietro Ferraro, is chief research scientist of the Research Group on Diagnostic methods, interferometry and microscopy at INOA-CNR. He has been Principal Investigator with Alenia Aeronautics (1989-1993). He published more then 90 papers in Archivial Journals, 3 book chapters and has 10 patents and presented more then 150 papers at International Conferences, being invited speaker several times. He was Guest Editor of 5 special issues on international journals and is member of the Editorial Board of the Optics and Lasers in Engineering (Elsevier). He chaired two international conferences and served as member of scientific committee in many conferences. Among his current scientific interests are: holography, interferometry, microscopy, fabrication of nanostructures, ferroelectric crystals, optical fiber sensors.

Simonetta Grilli got her PhD at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and she is currently a research scientist at the INOA-CNR (Italy). She has been invited as plenary speaker at the Photonics Europe SPIE Conference. She has published more than 20 papers in International Journals and she has had two patents awarded. Her currents research interests include: nanoscale domain engineering and surface structuring in ferroelectric crystals; interferometric analysis of ferroelectric properties; digital holography microscopy; super-resolution; tunable photonic devices.

Paolo De Natale is research director at INOA and, since 2001, he has been directing the INOA section in Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy. He has authored more than 120 papers, published in peer-reviewed international journals and books, is co-inventor in 3 patents and has given invited and plenary lectures in many International Conferences. His present research interests include: nonlinear optics, laser physics, atomic and molecular high precision spectroscopy, nonlinear interactions in ferroelectric crystals, frequency metrology, micron and nano engineering offerroelectric crystals, environmental monitoring with optical devices, optical sensors and diagnostics, physics of non-linear optical crystals, development of infrared coherent sources.

Résumé
The idea to write a new book in the ?eld of ferroelectric crystals arose from some considerationsreportedinthefollowing. Inthelast5years,severalgroupsallaround the world in the ?eld of engineering and characterization of ferroelectric crystals have published more than 300 papers. The motivation for such an intense research activity is referable to the fact that the ferroelectric crystals are a key element for the most attractive and useful photonic and optoelectronic devices. In fact, during the 60ies, the scientists realized that the ferroelectric crystals could have been - ?ciently used to generate new, unavailable frequencies, taking advantage of the freshly proposed birefringent phase-matching method. The synchronized rush for the development of novel coherent sources and for the discovery of the best-suited nonlinear crystals for mixing and generation had started. Consequently, the range of applications of ferroelectric crystals has enormously widened in the last years, es- cially based on the use of periodically poled structures (i. e. , PPLN, PPLT, PPKTP, or PPKTA) to quasi-phase-match optical interactions. A new generation of sources is ?nding increasing applications in various ?elds, including high sensitivity trace gas monitoring and any kind of advanced spectroscopic set-ups, thus replacing old style gas lasers like Argon-ion or dye lasers. New possibilities are also being - plored to engineer ferroelectric crystals with two- or three-dimensional geometries. Results from this ?eld will allow developing photonic devices combining photonic band-gap properties and nonlinear conversion processes, i. e. , nonlinear photonic crystals.

Contenu
Fabrication.- Micro-Structuring and Ferroelectric Domain Engineering of Single Crystal Lithium Niobate.- Fabrication and Characterization of Self-Assembled Ferroelectric Linear and Nonlinear Photonic Crystals: GaN and LiNbO3.- Sub-Micron Structuring of LiNbO3 Crystals with Multi-Period and Complex Geometries.- Nonlinear Optical Waveguides in Stoichiometric Lithium Tantalate.- 3-D Integrated Optical Microcircuits in Lithium Niobate Written by Spatial Solitons.- Characterization.- Light Aided Domain Patterning and Rare Earth Emission Based Imaging of Ferroelectric Domains.- Visual and Quantitative Characterization of Ferroelectric Crystals and Related Domain Engineering Processes by Interferometric Techniques.- New Insights into Ferroelectric Domain Imaging with Piezoresponse Force Microscopy.- Structural Characterization of Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate Crystals by High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction.- Applications.- Nonlinear Interactions in Periodic and Quasi-Periodic Nonlinear Photonic Crystals.- Domain-Engineered Ferroelectric Crystals for Nonlinear and Quantum Optics.- Photonic and Phononic Band Gap Properties of Lithium Niobate.- Lithium Niobate Whispering Gallery Resonators: Applications and Fundamental Studies.- Applications of Domain Engineering in Ferroelectrics for Photonic Applications.- Electro-Optics Effect in Periodically Domain-Inverted Ferroelectrics Crystals: Principles and Applications.