Planar and ridge waveguides in Yb[formula omitted]-doped silicate glasses fabricated by proton implantation and precise diamond blade dicing

Abstract

We firstly report on the planar waveguide via the single-energy proton implantation in the Yb3+-doped silicate glass. The implanted energy and fluence are 400 keV and 8.0×1016 ions/cm2, respectively. The thermal treatment at 200 °C for 1h was used to optimize waveguiding characteristics. The guided-mode spectra in the planar waveguide before and after annealing were characterized by the m-line method at 632.8 and 1539 nm. The distributions of refractive index for the as-implanted and annealed planar waveguides were reconstructed by the reflectivity calculation method. The optical characterizations were conducted at 632.8 nm using the end-fire coupling method before and after the thermal treatment. Then, the ridge waveguide was formed by the precise diamond blade dicing on the annealed planar Yb3+-doped silicate glass waveguide. The microscope image and near-field intensity profile of the ridge waveguide were investigated by the metallographic microscope and the end-face coupling system, respectively.