Special glass for integrated and microoptics

Abstract

A special glass for integrated and microoptics, designed for Ag+ — Na+ ion exchange, is introduced. A maximum refractive-index increase of 12.2 ∙ 10^-2 (λ = 633 nm) is possible without any silver reduction. To match the numerical aperture to standard fibres, the dilution of AgNO3 is investigated. Profile burying at low temperatures is possible using an eutectic melt of KNO3 and NaNO3 . Diffusion coefficients and melt mobilities are determined from refractive-index profiles of slab waveguides. Field-assisted ion exchange in combination with profile burying enables the generation of matched refractive-index profiles of slab and strip waveguides. Planar microlenses expand the series of possible applications.