Optical Waveguides Formed by Thermal Migration of Ions in Glass

Abstract

We present our results on optical waveguides formed by thermal diffusion of ions in glass. It was found that the peak of the ion-exchanged region can be shifted into the substrate interior by limiting the diffusion process. We also found that low loss films (<0.1 dB/cm) can be fabricated using this process and that the modal losses in these films do not agree with those losses predicted by existing theories. Also, the ion-exchange process has proved to be a simple means for fabricating tapered-edge couplers.