We are developing a completely new technology for the low cost fabrication of integrated optic devices (IODs) in silica glasses. This technology is based on direct photolithographic writing of IODs onto photoactive sol-gel glasses. Waveguide patterns are formed by straightforward photolithographic techniques. Depending on the choice of photosensitive glass, these waveguide patterns can be passive (simply having a higher index of refraction than the surrounding `host' glass) or active (with optical properties that can be influenced by the application of electric or magnetic fields). The simplicity of this process makes it very promising for the fabrication of commercially viable integrated optic devices.

Date Published: 25 April 1997
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 3007, Silicon-Based Monolithic and Hybrid Optoelectronic Devices, (25 April 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.273844

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3007:
Silicon-Based Monolithic and Hybrid Optoelectronic Devices
Derek C. Houghton; Bahram Jalali, Editor(s)