Fabrication and characterization of surface and buried optical waveguides made by ion exchange on glass

Low cost fabrication of surface and buried optical slab waveguides was achieved using a locally developed ion exchange on glass technology. The guides fabricated were optically characterized and their optical and diffusion characteristics extracted. Expected thermal diffusion characteristics of potassium/sodium (K/sup +//Na/sup +/) ionic exchange on soda-lime glass were generally observed. The fabrication and characterization of optical slab waveguides and the involved exchange processes serve currently as educational tools for senior students in the field of optical communications and related technologies. They were also implemented as a first stop towards the realization of an integrated optics technological basis for research and industrial development.