ABSTRACT We demonstrate a monolithic bulk shear-wave acousto-optic tunable filter combining a piezoelectric transducer array and the acoustic interaction medium in a single crystal. An X-propagating acoustic longitudinal wave is excited in the ``crossed-field'' scheme by an rf-Ey-field in a chirped acoustic superlattice formed by domain-inversion in lithium niobate (LiNbO3). The acoustic longitudinal wave is efficiently (97.5%) converted at a mechanically free boundary into a Y-propagating acoustic slow-shear wave that couples collinearly propagating e- and o-polarized optical waves. A relative conversion efficiency of 80%/W was measured at 980 nm.
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