Integrated-optic laser fabricated by field-assisted ion exchange in neodymium-doped soda-lime-silicate glass

A continuous-wave integrated-optic channel waveguide laser operating at 1.057 microm has been fabricated in neodymium-doped soda-lime-silicate laser glass. The device was end-fire pumped with the 0.528-microm line of an argon-ion laser. Threshold for laser action occurs for an absorbed pump power of 31 mW. The slope efficiency for the integrated-optic laser is estimated to be 0.5%. Field-assisted ion exchange in a eutectic melt of CaNO(3) and KNO(3) was used to form the waveguide.