Abstract

Ion exchange has been demonstrated to be a simple and effective way to increase the refractive index of glass substrates, thereby providing light guidance within the substrate. The general technique has been known for many years,¹ but early efforts to obtain practical devices were thwarted by poor performance (high losses, unburied guides). However, over the past two or three years, research efforts, stimulated by the need for low cost passive components, have resulted in significant progress in product development.

© 1990 Optical Society of America