Since the advent of the laser, acousto-optic modulators have been an important tool for controlling light. Recent advances in on-chip lithium niobate waveguide technology present new opportunities for these devices. We demonstrate a collinear acousto-optic modulator in a suspended film of lithium niobate employing a high-confinement, wavelength-scale waveguide. By strongly confining the optical and mechanical waves, this modulator improves a figure-of-merit that accounts for both acousto-optic and electro-mechanical efficiency by orders of magnitude. Our device demonstration marks a significant technological advance in acousto-optics that promises a novel class of compact and low-power frequency shifters, tunable filters, non-magnetic isolators, and beam deflectors.

中文翻译：

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波长尺度波导的声光调制

自激光器问世以来，声光调制器一直是控制光的重要工具。片上铌酸锂波导技术的最新进展为这些设备提供了新的机遇。我们展示了采用高约束，波长尺度波导的铌酸锂悬浮膜中的共线声光调制器。通过严格限制光波和机械波，此调制器改善了品质因数，从而将声光和机电效率均提高了几个数量级。我们的设备演示标志着声光技术的重大进步，该技术有望带来一类新型的紧凑型和低功率移频器，可调滤波器，非磁性隔离器和光束偏转器。