Ion implanted integrated optics (I3O) technology for planar lightwave circuits fabrication

The Ion Implanted Integrated Optics (I3O) technology, using titanium ion implantation in bulk silica to fabricate passive compact planar lightwave circuits (PLCs), is presented in this paper. Its advantages are described and compared with other waveguide fabrication technologies. It is demonstrated that the guided electromagnetic field can be tailored by adjusting the titanium ion dose either to fit the guided mode of standard single-mode fibers or to allow a sharp radius of curvature of bent waveguides.